


Avengers: Valkyrie Wars

by Rhysand_vs_Rowan



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Action, Adventure, Mystery, Suspense
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-04
Updated: 2017-01-08
Packaged: 2018-06-06 06:36:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 39
Words: 96,188
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6743263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rhysand_vs_Rowan/pseuds/Rhysand_vs_Rowan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When a young woman stumbles across a Valkyrie artifact the Avengers will fight Asgard, Valkyrie, Loki, Hydra, and the last of a monstrous race known as the Norn. Whoever claims the weapon can unleash Hell, but when it vanishes Loki takes the only person capable of finding it again: Steve Roger's lover.</p><p>**All cannon through "Winter Soldier" used, NO "Age of Ultron" or "Civil War"**<br/>***Total Verse reset from "Project Echo"</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Welcome to "Valkyrie Wars"!!!

****This fic will be posted in a chapter-per-day form****

I hope you enjoy my newest work, and the first collaborative piece! There are plenty of "Project Echo" easter-eggs to look forward to, but this is still a full-verse reset (truth be told, I was halfway through writing this when I started "Project Echo", so it actually came first).

This story will contain a few sex-scenes, a fucking smidgen of language, dammit (teehee), and plenty of violence. If you have anything you usually need trigger warnings for, let me know in a comment or DM and I will keep an eye out, it will certainly be stronger than in PE.

Reviews and reactions to each chapter will be loved, cherished, and shared with my writing partner, the ever wonderful Samantha-Marie (who does not have an AO3 account like a total dork)!

I hope you all enjoy!


	2. Chapter 1

** Chapter 1: **

Samantha was being burned alive- or boiled.

_Definitely boiled._

No matter what she did, she couldn't find respite from the heat (which on its own would have been bad enough without the added bonus of 88% humidity). A hat might offer her face a break from the punishing sun, but her tight brown curls made it feel more like she were wearing a ski cap… in Hell.

_It's 90 degrees out,_ _it's only the humidity that makes it feel like 900._

She revoked her promise to take a swing at anyone who used the nauseatingly cliché expression, "It's a dry heat!" Now that she'd known humidity- especially at these levels- she understood perfectly.

_I wonder if there's any demand for archaeologists in Siberia… or the Antarctic._

"Cidero, you're on break!" Her supervisory professor barked from his shaded tent fully equipped with a half dozen fans and a mini fridge stocked with nice, cool drinks. Bastard. "Supervisory Professor" sounded like someone who _led_ a dig, _helped_ with the work, _educated_ students working on their PHDs. Funny how misleading titles could be.

"Thank you!" Despite her inner grumblings she happily abandoned her brushes and trowels to take her 15 minutes lying on the sweaty towel under the golf umbrella with a nice fresh bottle of hot water… Hey, at least there was shade!

"Making any progress in your quadrant?" Caleb, her _Assistant_ Supervisory Professor (meaning the one who did the actual work) fist-bumped her as they traded places in the corner of the dig site.

Samantha took a long gulp of water to buy her frazzled brain time to formulate a response that didn't sound totally useless, "Not really."

_Nailed it, dumbass_.

"Well, it's your time," Caleb shrugged, "if your gut says there's something out there then keep looking. This is one of the last times in your career where you'll be able to do that without needing a financially viable and well-explained reason. Go with your instincts, maybe you'll find something."

"I'll give it another day or two, then move on," Samantha didn't miss the cautionary note in Caleb's little speech. Yes, he was supporting her, but he was also warning her that she was behaving like a rookie instead of a pro. That kind of double-speak tried her patience.

Even resting in the scrap of shade wasn't as comfortable as it should have been. Along with the sting of Caleb's subtle critique she felt something pushing at her, trying to force her away from the dry, hot clay of her quadrant. The closer she got, the stronger the sensation- and the more she wanted to dig to see what didn't want to be found.

Unlike the rest of her team, it wasn't evidence of some Native American village she hoped to find. Her usual interest in the Shawnee was secondary to, well, _whatever_ she thought she was going to find. When the group first arrived at the dig site weeks before she could have sworn she saw a woman in the middle of the field they were to dig in. Ripples of heat in the parking lot made it difficult to tell who she was or where she went, Samantha just knew that once they entered the park she was gone.

No one else saw her, but Samantha was _positive_ she'd been there, crouched down as if she were looking for something. So, when they each took a plot, she chose this one. It was like it had hypnotized her, she couldn't resist the pull of whatever was buried there in the clay. Either there was nothing down there and she was simply imagining things, or something _was_ down there and a mysterious, vanishing old woman wanted to get her hands on it.

_And hey, if it turns out to be something I need to be worried about I've got all the backup I could ever wish for._

"Time to call it a day!" Samantha hadn't even noticed just how much time passed as she worked, detached from her group, "Everyone close off your areas for the night and be free!" Caleb jumped out of his own plot (the second he'd cleared) and retrieved his cell phone from a dusty old knapsack in the professor's tent. She looked at her watch- 5:30 already. She didn't even notice the hulking man leave (as he did every day at promptly 4:00), "Who wants the day's headlines? Stock market is up 2%. Yay, I guess. Good news for anyone rich enough to own stock in Stark Industries- they're up over $500 a share. A guy in Argentina felt that seeing a spider on his pillow was a good reason to set fire to his house and ended up burning half the street down. I can't say I disagree…"

He took a breath and blasted through a few more, "A report from Princeton- smug bastards- came out saying that people who drink coffee in the morning have improved cognitive function. I'm sorry Michelle but I'm betting frapps don't count _mostly_ because I've talked to you in the mornings. Wakanada's-"

"Wakanda," at least three members of the dig called out their corrections.

"-I see the new mandatory geography credits are serving us well," Caleb nodded, " _Wakanda's_ King T' –OK I don't know how to pronounce that- has been _assassinated_. Bummer for Wakanda. His son whose name is _way_ too similar to his is expected to ascend the throne."

"T'Chaka was King, T'Challa is his son."

"Thank you Ayana." Caleb flashed a thumbs up to the Ethiopian member of the dig, "Is T'Challa the guy who donated like a gazillion dollars to cultural preservation groups a few months ago?"

"Yes."

"So he's going to be pretty cool as King," Caleb switched to a new page, "OK, Asia news-"there was a _ping_ from his phone and jumped up, over-excited as always, "NEWS ALERT PEOPLE! The Avengers have continued their reign of _awesome_ by raiding an unknown plutonium enrichment facility in Austria believed to be supplying Hydra, ISIS, and other terrorist organizations! 85 baddies are now in the hospital, prison, or the morgue. Because that's what happens when you mess with total BAD-ASSES. Maybe we'll get a pic of their new member. Or a name. Or a hero name."

"Or proof there _is_ a new member," someone muttered just loudly enough for fanboy Caleb to hear. His Avengers rants were always entertaining.

"HEY!" he jumped up and faced the general direction the voice came from, "Last month Stark was in Paris with Hawkeye and Banner showing off their new Hulk-tranquilizing gear with Thor there for cover. _At the same time_ Hydra did that attack on the U.N. Granted, cell footage from that was SHIT, but there were FOUR distinct blobs fighting in the main atrium. FOUR. Cap, Falcon and Widow are a given, so who was the _fourth_?!"

Ayana rolled her eyes, "A S.H.I.E.L.D. agent?"

Samantha smiled to herself as she finished stretching a tarp over her zone to secure it for the night. She tuned out her friends as Caleb surrendered for the day with a "You'll see." A successful mission meant she'd have a _successful_ night of her own. He always came to her a bit riled after a battle. Samantha hid a grin with the brim of her hat and finished her work as quickly as possible. He'd be there soon enough.

* * *

"I like missions without significant body counts," Tony mused as he wandered down the Quin-jet's ramp.

"By my count, Tony Stark, a great many of our enemies perished in battle, and a score more were injured."

"Thor, always so confused, bless your blond little head. I meant no one we _care_ about. You know Ambassador, I thought you only played dumb for the cameras…"

"I do not understand, I see no cameras here."

Steve popped his neck as he exited the jet with Natasha, Clint, Bucky, Banner, and Sam, "He's saying you're pretending you don't get what he means just to mess with him." Exactly when 'Tony-Translator' was added to his job description he'd never know.

"Oh!" Thor brightened, "Feigning ignorance as a jest!" his smile snapped into a serious scowl, "This is true." The sudden deadpan made him look an awful lot like Loki. Sometimes even the Avengers forgot they were (adopted) brothers- Thor's mischief was a little less on the apocalyptic-genocide end of the spectrum, but it was still there.

"Touché," Tony nodded his approval.

"Good work today team," Steve turned to flash a thumbs-up to his friends, "We will be debriefing with General Ross tomorrow at 10am. Until then, you're all dismissed."

"No so fast Winter Smolder-" Tony caught Bucky before he could vanish into one of his Avengers Tower haunts, "where's my fix?"

"Oh yeah," Bucky grinned and pulled a small black notebook from one of the pouches on his belt, "Let's see… OK, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, 1975. He was the founding president of Bangladesh."

Tony considered it for a long time, " _Yours_?"

"Correct, though the media reported military coup."

"Guys, c'mon, that's…" Steve hated their little 'Today in Assassin History' ritual. They'd only recovered Bucky five _months_ ago, he was only _now_ stable enough to really be around others (supervised) and the game seemed to Steve to be in poor taste. Not to mention a military court cleared Bucky of culpability for the Winter Soldier's kills _one month_ ago. Incorporating his kill record into a daily game made Steve uncomfortable.

Bucky shot Steve a look and began removing his metal arm from the shoulder unit Tony designed when he was first brought in, "Your prize." It was their custom, should Tony guess correctly if he killed the Person of the Day, for Bucky to give him an hour with the Hydra-crafted metal arm to run tests, analyze programming, and plan upgrades, "Hey, if you clean the people out of it you can have an extra half hour."

"Bucky!"

"Deal," Tony snatched the arm and made a bee-line for his lab, "I have an idea about a telekinetic uplink for you!"

"Lighten up Steve," this wasn't the first (or fifth) time they'd had this discussion, "it doesn't hurt anyone, helps me with my recall, besides- he likes his tinker-time with the arm and frankly I owe it to the guy. _He's_ the one who tracked down the reprogramming chair for my trial-"

"-to show them how dangerous you were!"

"- and when he realized what all it did he _testified on my behalf after I admitted to killing his parents_. You heard what the judge said- his testimony more than anything saved me from a firing squad." He shrugged and pointed after his new friend, "He's a bigger man than you give him credit for."

"I just don't think it's in your best interest to be so cavalier with your Hydra associations."

Bucky laughed, "What else should I be? What Hydra made me into is something they'll be answering for until I've carved my way through every last head on that beast. I'm owning up to my crimes, but I'm not going to mope around in some corner because of the past. I'll deal with it how I want to deal with it, understood?" He wasn't mad, but he didn't wait for Steve to respond and headed for the first-floor locker rooms.

"Anyone up for Chinese?" Natasha pinched Steve's elbow lightly and nodded when he turned. Both men were a bit short with one another lately. Steve wanted to pretend Hydra never happened and treated his friend as if he were made of glass. Bucky was losing his patience. He _had_ been Hydra, he _had_ killed hundreds, he had a mountain of guilt weighing on him so hard some days it was nearly impossible to get out of bed- so he fought his darkness with humor and snark and faced it head-on. Both of them had to find their middle ground with one another. Until then it was up to the Avengers to run interference.

Clint and Bucky were in for Chinese and a post-battle movie in the rec room. Banner and Sam both opted for the shower-and-sleep option. Tony would be distracted by the arm until his time was up, but he managed to holler his order from down the hall, "I shall report news of our victory to Asgard, then I would very much enjoy participating in this feast!"

"Beef and broccoli, right?" Bucky turned from the locker room door, "Extra broccoli?"

" _No_ broccoli," Thor corrected immediately. He wasn't picky, but something about those tiny trees rubbed him wrong.

"Got it, beef and broccoli, no carrots."

"No, no broccoli."

" _Extra_ broccoli?"

"NO BROCCOLI!"

"Oh!" Bucky exclaimed, slapping his forehead, "My apologies ambassador… _No_ beef."

"JAMES BARNES I _WILL_ SMITE YOU!" They continued to argue as they vanished into the locker room to wash off the grit and grime of battle. As usual, DUM-E was on standby to help Bucky wash his right side. Eventually Tony would focus long enough to finish the shower-friendly modifications he'd been planning for the arm, but until then Bucky was fine with tossing the unit off for him to play with before he bathed (if he guessed correctly at their game- the day before Tony thought that the Winter Soldier assassinated Franz Ferdinand… _Before_ Bucky was even born).

"Let him breathe a bit," Natasha caught Steve again as he stepped away, "he's got a lot to process. Give him a chance to do that whichever way he thinks is best. It seems to be working, at least."

"Bloody Avengers rampages followed by games in the Tower?"

She shrugged, "He's still more Winter Soldier than Bucky Barnes, I'll give you that, but you need to believe your friend _will_ come through this. He's just never going to be the same guy who fell off that train. Are you even the same guy who watched him fall?" She smiled knowingly.

"When the army came after him- I thought that was it. I thought I was going to have to fight you all to save him."

"That's stupid," Tony wandered out of his lab while the sonic cleaner worked on Bucky's arm, "you think we're petty or something?"

"Well, Howard and Maria…"

Tony shrugged, "What can I say? I have a heart of gold. Especially for anyone strapped into a torture chair and electrocuted for 70 years. He didn't kill my parents. Hydra did. We were always on your side."

"I just don't want him blowing this. It's the only chance I think he'll get."

Sam stepped up, "We're all here to see that that doesn't happen. Don't worry. He's been officially declared a P.O.W, President Ellis wrote him a pardon, and he's got everyone in this building watching his back. There's no reason to think we'll lose him now."

"Yeah Cap, no worries, OK?"

Steve surrendered the debate with both hands up, "Fine, I know when I'm outnumbered… I'll just keep being grateful no one's woken up in the middle of the night with an assassin trying to strangle them in-" he glanced at Tony's flip counter, "oh, ten whole days now. New record."

"I'm switching on the electromagnets in his door at night." Tony smiled, "So Cap, what's the verdict? You joining in on dinner or what?"

"No," Steve backed away, "I think I just need some time, you know?"

"Another hike?" Clint raised an eyebrow, "That's becoming a bit of a weekly ritual huh?"

"It's more than once a week," Bruce broke his silence and ventured into the conversation. He was always a little queasy post-Hulk.

"Yeah, well, can you blame me?"

"Where are you heading?"

Steve shrugged to Natasha, "I don't know. I'll fly around a bit, find somewhere. Something low key, quiet."

"It'll be dark in a few hours."

"I'll sleep on the ship. Don't worry, I'll be back for the briefing."

Natasha nodded, "Well, have fun. If you get in a pinch, call."

"Right," Steve edged back towards the hanger door, "and call me if _you_ get in a pinch."

When they first brought Bucky in he'd been a danger to himself and others- to the point where they had to keep him in the Tower's holding cell (granted, they added most of the accoutrements from Steve's guest room). PTSD-fueled flashbacks, nightmares, _waking_ nightmares- the first month or so had been Hell. It was Sam who'd convinced him to leave the Tower for a day or two at a time. The Avengers could help handle Bucky, Steve didn't have to be there for every breakdown or breakthrough. At least not if he wanted to keep his own sanity.

And then the trips became more frequent.

Suspiciously so.

Banner ambled over to the others as Steve ducked onto the jet and watched him leave, "He never tells us much about his hikes."

"The Quin-Jet has no shower, yet he always comes back squeaky clean, no matter how long he's gone," Clint raised an eyebrow to Natasha.

"There's also no food in it," Tony nodded, "I stopped stocking the snacks two weeks ago. He hasn't noticed."

"I stole the camping gear," Natasha shrugged, "including his hiking boots."

"Y'all just love breathing down the man's neck," Sam shook his head, "no privacy here, _none_."

She turned to him, "You bugged his cell phone. I know you did."

"I didn't say I wasn't part of the problem."

Banner smiled at the group, "So… Secret girlfriend?"

"Obviously."

"Without a doubt."

"He's just insulting our intelligence," Tony wandered back towards his lab, "JARVIS, find out who she is. I want blackmail material."

"Of course you do, sir."

* * *

Samantha was standing over her dresser and rummaging for clean clothes when she heard the knock at the door. Still wearing her dirt and sweat-crusted field gear she padded quickly down the narrow hall and peered through the peephole in her front door. _Right on time_. She swung it open with a laugh, "Come in, O Master of Disguise."

"Ha. Ha." Steve smirked and ducked into the small apartment. Samantha pushed back the hood of his Indiana University sweatshirt as he leaned in for a kiss. He kicked the door closed and slid the bolt into place without breaking away.

She moaned softly as he pulled her against his chest. She smiled and felt his own lips tighten in a similar expression. When their kiss ended both were slightly breathless, "I haven't showered yet," her whisper was more of an invitation than a statement.

Steve twirled a lock of her hair with one hand and began unbuttoning her top with the other, "What a coincidence, neither have I."


	3. Chapter 2

** Chapter 2 **

Long after they'd finally exhausted themselves Steve still held Samantha tight against his chest, nuzzling the back of her neck as she slept. This calm, quiet respite was as much a balm for the hero's soul as it was a welcome break from being Captain America. With Samantha he wasn't a leader, he wasn't an Avenger, he wasn't a soldier- he was just a man lying with the woman he loved, secure in the knowledge that she was safe in his arms. With her the post-battle bloodlust was tempered and the stresses of the Tower didn't seem so overwhelming. He could breathe. He could be happy.

The calm she brought to his life was _why_ he kept their relationship secret. He'd traveled to the Indiana University campus four months ago on his first forced-excursion from the Tower to consult a leading expert on PTSD therapies and treatments (OK, so back then he didn't get the 'vacation' part of 'vacation') and bumped into her while looking for the Psychology offices. Not only did he leave with the names of New York based specialists, a list of group therapy programs, and about six textbooks- he also had her cell number.

"Samantha?" Steve gently kissed her awake, "It's time to get up, my love." She moaned and scooted so that her back was pressed firmly against him. She slipped her hand back to rest on his naked thigh, "You're going to be late for class." He lightly traced her ear with his lips as she pulled him against her a little harder.

"What time is it?" she gasped as he gently nipped at her earlobe.

"6:30."

Samantha considered it briefly, then thought about the night before- of all she and Steve had done before his bloodlust was cooled. It sent shivers through her- and not the bad kind, "I'll stay an extra half hour tonight." She slid her hand off his thigh and between their bodies. She found him very much ready and willing.

"Half an hour?" his voice was husky as he slid away so she could turn to face him.

Samantha rolled on top of him and straddled his hips with a smile. She leaned in close, pressed her chest against his, and opened her mouth as if for a kiss. At the last second she slid away and reached for a container of mints on her nightstand, "I'm not kissing morning breath." She popped two into her mouth and pressed one between her teeth.

Steve pulled her back down and retrieved his candy. It was his turn to gasp as she ground her hips against his. He grabbed her thighs as she continued to move and pulled her down harder against himself, "Any chance we could make that an hour?"

"Deal."

* * *

"What are you grinning about?" The second Steve sat at the jet's controls Tony's face filled the screen. He hardly even had time to toss the sweatshirt he used for college-town camouflage onto the floor.

"It was a good hike."

"Uh huh," Tony winked. "You're _glowing_."

"What do you want Stark? I thought I'd be pulling you out of bed for the debrief later."

"Well if you insist Tiger," Tony grinned sarcastically.

"Stark-"

"What's in Bloomington Indiana? Or, more importantly, _who_?"

Steve rolled his eyes, hung up, and took off. Stark was incorrigible, _any_ response would only have goaded him on. He'd have to warn Samantha their private relationship would be going public (at least, to the Avengers), and fast. _Unless_.. "JARVIS, dial Pepper please."

"Right away, Captain Rogers."

"Steven, hello!" Pepper's face popped up on his monitor. He could tell she was at her office in Avengers Tower.

"Morning Pepper," he smiled, "I hope I'm not interrupting anything?"

She dismissed his concern with a wave, "No, nothing at all. I just got in. What's up?"

"Well… Tony found out about Bloomington."

Pepper laughed, "Oh, poor Samantha! Don't worry, I'll knock him off track. She isn't ready for his level of nonsense." Though they'd never met, Pepper was the only one who knew about Samantha. Hell, she probably knew more about the Avengers personal lives than anyone! It was safer to employ her in keeping secrets from Tony, "Your meeting this morning, will it turn into a mission?"

"Not at all," Steve promised, "it's just a debriefing. We've got some leads to follow, some terrorists to round up, but we took out the worst of the threat. Tony will be home for dinner."

"Thank you, that's exactly what I wanted to hear!"

"See you soon then."

"See you soon. And don't worry, I'll get him off Samantha's trail."

He ended the call and let out a small sigh. _How much longer can I protect Samantha from them?_

* * *

"Come on everyone, we've got clean-up to do and I promised Pepper we'd be done by dinner," Steve ushered Avengers from the kitchen towards the meeting room, "General Ross is calling in in 5 minutes for the debrief." Natasha wandered down from the second floor library followed by Bucky. He was still in his pajama pants but wore a black dress shirt and had his hair neatly combed back. Ever since Clint shared his thoughts that video-chat debriefs meant they didn't _really_ need to dress up Bucky, Tony, and Sam hadn't put in much effort.

Bucky was carrying a steaming mug of coffee and re-reading something in his large, green notebook. He glanced up as he shuffled to a seat _barely_ in camera range (General Ross was hardly a fan), "Hey Steve? Quick question- did we ever have a mission at the train station in Dresden?"

"No. But we were stationed near there for a few weeks in '43."

"But no shoot-outs at the train station?"

"Nope."

Bucky made a face and pulled a handful of highlighters from a pocket to dump on the table. He grabbed the orange one and drew a line down the side of the page, "That one's Hydra then," he mumbled to himself. The notebook, one of many, was color-coded with such marks. For Howling Commando memories he'd use a green line, Hydra got orange, and personal moments were either blue or yellow- Steve couldn't figure out the system when it came to those two, but it was always specific. It was something he'd already been doing on his own when they brought him in. Doctor Cho, Bucky's shrink, encouraged it immediately, and Steve was more than happy to sort through the memories with him.

_How was he last night?_ Steve mouthed to Sam.

Sam shrugged, _Library. All night._ Usually Bucky's memories came in the form of nightmares- or sometimes _very_ violent rampages set off by things as simple as a fly buzzing in his ear. Sam and Steve were both neighbors to Bucky, now that he was out of containment and in a proper apartment at the Tower. If something happened, they were the first to know.

"I read for a little then fell asleep in the chair, thanks for asking," Bucky barely glanced up from the notebook as he jotted down some more details he'd remembered.

"Sorry," Steve said quickly, "I'm working on backing off." He wasn't willing to antagonize his friend with questions or criticisms today. He remembered how peaceful he'd felt holding Samantha and feeling free of his responsibilities and regrets. On the flight back he vowed to give Bucky his best shot at that- by not adding to the load.

"I appreciate it," his friend replied sincerely. A moment later the line _dinged_ , Bucky slumped in his chair, and their meeting began.

* * *

An hour into her dig Samantha struck gold in the form of a large metal box. She followed the contours of it with her tools to get a firm idea of the size- but something about it seemed… Odd. From the corner of her eye it was as orange-red as the clay around it, but dead-on it appeared to be a very dark gray rippled through with silver. A metal box with a wood-like grain?

She signaled for Caleb to record and document the find, but when he came to look he only seemed confused, "What did you find?"

"This, obviously." She waved her hand over the thing.

"And _this_ is-?"

"A box?" she looked again, "I know it's still fairly covered but c'mon Caleb it's what- 3 foot by 5?"

He looked at her as if she were crazy. Ayana, the closet to her, climbed up from her own plot to come see what was going on, "Touch it."

"For the love of-"Samantha slapped a clod of dirt on the top, then used her brush to clear away the loose soil, "happy?"

Caleb whistled and waved their Supervisory Professor over, "What is it Cidero?" he glanced in the hole. Caleb whispered something to him and he nodded, "Hey, come with me for a bit, alright?"

"Yes Professor Weaver," she glared at Caleb a moment and followed her instructor back to his tent. He pulled out an extra flip chair and even turned a couple of fans to point her way. Samantha sat, aware of the glances of her classmates. Caleb and Ayana remained in her plot.

"Where you from again?" he passed her a (cold!) bottle of Gatorade.

"Bar Harbor, it's in Maine," she opened the bottle and took a long drink.

"This your first stint south? What's your academic history?"

"I've been a student here for three years, in your classes for the last two," Samantha tried to keep her tone pleasant, "I did my undergrad work at the University of Maine. Classical Studies and American History."

"This summer's hot as hell. Maine have much humidity?" she didn't miss Caleb's little shrug as he and Ayana left the plot.

"Not really."

Professor Weaver glanced over and inspected her drink, "Bottom's up," he held his own bottle to his lips and she followed suit, "You need the electrolytes."

"Yeah, sure." Samantha gulped down the drink as-ordered. It was obvious enough- Caleb was acting like he hadn't seen anything to get her a time out with Weaver. He'd done this before as a sort of side-job. He'd convince the Professor someone had been in the sun a bit too long and they got to take a break in the shade with fans and a (cold!) drink. There was practically a bribery pool in place, and Samantha didn't remember buying in. Normally she'd be pleased, but this nonsense wasn't appreciated after she'd _actually_ found something. Professor Weaver's willingness to go along with it further confirmed her theory- he probably got a cut of the money.

She waited for what felt like forever before Weaver stood and waved for her to follow him back to the plot, "You were a bit late today, that's not something you're known for. Feeling ok?"

"I'm fine, I just hit the gym last night and I guess I was more tired than I realized. I slept through my alarm. I was going to stay late to make up the time."

"Don't worry about it. You're not one of the slackers. So long as it doesn't become a habit I'm willing to let it slide."

"Um, thanks. That's really cool," she felt a little guilty about lying, but she wasn't about to tell some Professor about her sex life.

He stopped on the edge of her plot and stared at it for a while, "Describe what you see."

Samantha sighed and hopped in. She took a wooden chisel and struck at the clay a few times to uncover more of the gray metal, "The box itself is three foot by five, it's around-" she checked a little trench she'd dug earlier, "ten inches deep? No visible hinges, but there _is_ a seam running an inch from the top all the way around."

"And you say it's metal? What kind?" he pulled out a cell phone and coughed. Caleb glanced up and immediately took out his own phone.

"Dark, layered with silver or some kind of light metal. It looks kind of like wood or something."

"Damascus steel, maybe?" he held out his phone to show her a picture.

"Yeah, actually, it looks exactly like that." Samantha frowned. Obviously this wasn't some Native American artifact but Damascus steel wasn't something you found in Indiana, and she'd never even heard of it being used outside decorative knives or the odd piece of jewelry, let alone a giant box.

Professor Weaver waved Samantha back towards the tent, but she held her ground. He turned back to face her, "I've got Caleb calling the hospital. You need to be checked out."

"I'm not crazy."

"I'm not saying that," he stuffed his hands in his pockets, "I think it's been a hot-as-fuck week and you've been working _too_ hard through it. I want you to be checked out before you do real harm to yourself. Go to the hospital today, take tomorrow and have a nice long weekend- no _gym_. You'll feel better Monday."

"Not happening," she was making a scene, but she didn't care, "I'm not leaving this right now, not half-exhumed."

"There's nothing there to exhume. After a rest and some medicine, you'll see that for yourself."

"No, I won't-"Samantha slapped her bare hand on the metal. It was the first time anyone had touched it directly -and the last thing she remembered before the visions started.


	4. Chapter 3

** Chapter 3 **

Samantha stood on a red field surrounded by an army of blue giants and golden soldiers. They clashed violently on all sides with no sign of the battle turning in anyone's favor. The fierce fighting churned up dirt, while the blood of the fallen turned it into a loose, red mud. Fallen soldiers were trampled to nothing under the feet of their comrades- and _fallen_ didn't always mean _dead_.

Sprinkled throughout the field were battle-maidens- perhaps twenty Samantha could see, fighting more fiercely than any others. The women wore black and silver armor that was thick and uniform in styling. Their heads were covered by helms and half-cloaks of (formerly) white feathers swirled around them as they laid into the blue giants with the grace of dancers.

She walked through the throng unseen and unmolested, drawn towards the fiercest area of the battlefield- a clearing in front of some sort of massive, golden-domed building. As she approached, the battle slowed to a crawl. Ahead of her a giant was felled, revealing three more battle-maidens as unlike their comrades as they could possibly be.

These women wore no practical armor, but rather dark red gowns studded with golden plates. They cut through their enemies with a speed and efficiency their peers could not match, encumbered as they were. Their arms were clad in ridged guards as sharp across the back as any blade- and they used them as such wherever possible. A simple punch to the jaw could slice through a giant's neck if angled right.

Even their helms were strange. Two had golden helms that covered all but their eyes and yet left their braided hair to fly about them. Based on the glint of gold as they spun and dodged, plated into the hair were blades of the same severity as those on their arms. One spun fast and slashed through a giant's chest while her hair whipped up and ripped through his eyelid, blinding him. No opponent lasted long against them. The third spun around to strike at an attacker and Samantha realized with a jolt that her helm _had_ no slits for eyes. Blind as she _must_ have been, she still fought with deadly accuracy.

She sensed the furthest from her, closest to the golden dome, was the eldest. She swung a massive broadsword around her in a deadly arc that left her enemies in more pieces than they were upon attacking. She was incredibly fast and agile with the blade- but it wasn't enough. She was tiring, and the giants seemed to come for her without end. After a moment she had to adjust to fight two opponents at once, then three, then four- then she was overwhelmed. The woman fell under a mob of blue giants and was gone from sight.

When they pulled back she was still gasping, trying to breathe through the spears and blades buried in her. Her sword was still gripped tightly in her left hand. Samantha knew she was dying, _she_ knew she was dying, but she reached up and pulled her helm back so that she could see the other two- still fighting nearby. She seemed to take comfort in the sight of her companions fighting. It wasn't long before the light in her amber eyes was gone and her grip on the sword eased.

An anguished cry came from the smaller of the two when she turned and saw her fallen comrade. _No,_ Samantha thought, _not comrade… Sister._ She tightened her grip on her short-swords and threw herself at her sister's killer with renewed vigor. The third sibling helped clear her sister's path with a large reaper's scythe- the perfect image of Death incarnate.

"Skuld!" the woman dove behind her sister to block a blow from a particularly large giant. Her scythe absorbed the shuck, but the slick, bloody mud beneath her feet sent her to a knee. She tried to recover her footing, but before she had a chance the giant swung again. She cried out as the blow connected with the side of her scythe- then the blade shattered. Her sister turned just in time to be splashed with her blood as the blind warrior was opened from shoulder to hip.

The final sister, Skuld presumably, attacked her sister's killer with reckless abandon, but he caught every blow. She stretched, sprang, whirled, swiped, ducked, lunged, tried every combination of moves she knew and a few she made up in the heat of battle, but it wasn't enough to do more than irritate the behemoth.

Samantha knew she would die soon. Judging by the grim set of the fighter's mouth and the grin on her attacker's they both did too. So Skuld made the only move that was left to her- she stepped directly into his sword and plunged both of hers into his chest- piercing the heart and lungs. They were frozen a moment, both in shock, before he adjusted his grip on his blade and gave it a horrific twist, then jerked it back from the body.

As she fell, Samantha felt a wave of anguish from her. The killer stumbled a few feet before he too was downed, still pierced with Skuld's blades. She didn't go so easily. With the last of her strength she pulled herself towards her sisters. The eldest- hand still outstretched, the next split in two, just like her blade. Skuld lost the strength to move mere inches from either sister.

The hilts of the weapons began to glow, drawing Samantha's eye. Each of them held the same symbol- three interwoven triangles. As Skuld died they grew brighter and brighter, eventually blinding her to all else.

"STOP SEEKING THAT WHICH IS LOST!" A madwoman's harsh voice howled at her from the blades, "STOP NOW, OR WATCH YOUR WORLD BURN!"

* * *

" _Steve, do you trust me_?"

"Of course Bucky. I always will. ' _Till the end of the line_!"

" _Oh Steve_!"

" _Bucky_! Take me with your metal arm and-"

"FOR FUCK SAKE! WE DON'T ACT LIKE THAT!" Bucky threw his popcorn at Clint, "I only asked if he trusted me because I was going to throw him off a goddam skyscraper!"

Tony smirked and dodged a similar barrage, "Well, it all sounded very romantic on comms. Hey- judgement free zone."

Steve was actually in a good mood again, so he just chuckled at Tony's needling. He was normally a big supporter of stapling Stark's mouth shut, but nothing bothered him today. They were on their way back from a successful raid on a Hydra-sponsored lab and spirits were high. These were the Avengers he one day would (be forced to) introduce Samantha to, if he had his choice. The kind who ate popcorn on the jet and reenacted bits of the fight for entertainment. Unfortunately, he couldn't promise they'd always be so laid back.

"What are you grinning at?" Natasha was sitting with Sam and Banner at the back of the ship playing cards, but she had this terrifying ability to see all around without looking.

"Feels good," Steve shrugged, "I don't know. It's a good day."

He jumped when he heard a long, sudden sniff next to his ear. When he turned Tony was nearly nose-to-nose with him, "You smell like sex."

"What does that even mean?!" he turned brick-red from his cheeks to his ears.

"You know what it means, spill."

Since it was the worst possible time imaginable, Steve forgot to even _look_ surprised when his cell phone rang. He shoved Tony back and fished it out of his uniform- Samantha. Steve's mouth fell open slightly. His Avengers cell was an in-case-of-emergency line. If she was calling-

"Zoink!" Tony took advantage of the distraction and snatched the phone. Steve dove for him and managed to grab Stark's wrist. He had a whole _finger_ on the phone when Tony lobbed it over his head at Clint. Steve released his friend and jumped to swipe it out of the air.

The world abruptly turned sideways. Bucky slammed his shoulder into Steve's torso and lifted him up off of his feet. They ended up in a heap on the floor of the jet- and then Thor decided to get involved. Taking advantage of Steve's struggle, the Asgardian simply sat on his leader's legs with the full force of his 750lbs. Bucky laughed at Thor's assistance and wrapped both of his arms around Steve's, then locked one behind his head and slapped a hand over the soldier's mouth to stifle his angry shout. Natasha, Sam, and Banner showed their support for the leader of the Avengers by dealing another hand.

"Hello?" Clint did his best Cap-voice as Steve struggled against the two idiots pinning him.

Desperate, Steve sucked up every last bit of saliva into one wet glob and licked the inside of Bucky's hand, "HEY!" it was worth the gross-factor (though, in all fairness his hand tasted like popcorn)- Bucky pulled back far enough for Steve to disengage the hold and shove Thor half off. He was going to get that phone before-

"Hold up," Clint sighed, "just a sec-" he made a face and tossed the cell back to its owner. "It's someone from that gym you're so fixated on." Clint shook his head at Tony and scratched his ear. Stark grinned savagely- he was turning on the spy feature in his hearing aids. Steve hadn't been clued-in to that one yet.

"Grant?" She used his middle name, meaning someone could be listening to her end.

"Yeah, sorry. Hawkeye intercepted my phone."

Samantha sounded frustrated at whatever was going on around her, "I'm sorry I used the emergency number, I just didn't want you to hear about it through a _messenger_."

'Messenger' was Samantha's code for JARVIS, "Hear about what? Is the… _gym_ alright," _Are you alright?_

"I'm fine," she practically spat. She must have been saying it to people for a while already, "the guys at the dig are being dicks, you know how it is."

"Oh yeah, I'm familiar with those kinds of conditions. Not good for the… sandbags." _What the hell are you talking about, Rogers?_

"They, um, took an 'overheated student' joke to the next level, and while I'm perfectly, totally, one hundred percent fine… I'm in the hospital."

"WHAT?!" He glanced nervously on all eyes trained on him. Clint winced as if Steve's shout hurt him somehow. He coughed and whistled, "Wow, who knew wet sand got so… moldy." _What?! C'mon!_

"I'm fine, I just… Might have, um, gotten dizzy and decided to take a very… quick nap. That only lasted a few seconds and is barely worth mentioning. I just- I know you were going to come back tonight and I'm still here until someone picks me up so…"

Steve was already a little panicked, no matter how often she told him she was fine, "No worries, I'm glad you called. I'll be there in-" he glanced at the display on the ship's dash, "three hours? Is that alright? Um, at your D.C. branch I mean. Since you have… Moldy, um, sandbags." Tony snorted and covered his mouth, Bucky just looked at him like he'd lost his mind.

Samantha confirmed that the pickup would be fine, apologized again for calling his cell (not that he was complaining!), and promised to tell him _exactly_ what the doctors said. He kept his eyes locked on Stark, daring him to make a move throughout the rest of the call.

"Moldy sandbags," Banner set his cards down as soon as Steve hung up and arched and eyebrow, "you sure that's what you want to go with?"

"Yeah man," Sam shook his head, "if you wanna change the story I'm willing to pretend this never happened. Anyone else in on a do-over?" Literally everyone raised their hands in unison. Tony raised three.

"DAMMIT! GIVE ME BACK MY ARM!" Bucky snatched it away, "How did you even-"

"I made a quick-release latch that's coded to my fingerprint so I can do this-" Tony put his thumb on the arm as soon as Bucky reconnected it. His grin only grew wider as Bucky ducked to catch it, cursing all the way.

From there the conversation devolved into another good-natured tussle between Bucky, Tony, and Clint. Steve was just happy he was forgotten in the mix, "If you have personal business to conduct, you are certainly free to do so openly. It need not be secret from us. "Thor stood by Steve with his arms crossed and monitored the three fools before him. Should Bucky trigger and 'good-natured' became 'fatal-hostility' he would be the one to step in before the non-super-soldiers were irreparably harmed.

"Moldy. Sandbags."

"I get it," Sam shoved Clint at Tony when he came too close, "you want to keep your _gym_ separate from all this shit. Makes sense."

"Pepper Potts and Jane Foster- both have been targets because of their affiliations with us," Thor agreed. "Know that entrusting merely your comrades with the… _gym's_ identity will only make it safer."

"Telling us isn't telling the world."

"That's not for me to decide."

"You better decide quickly," Sam shook his head, "or life'll decide for you, and something tells me that would get ugly _fast_."


	5. Chapter 4

** Chapter 4 **

Samantha was (finally) released to "Jacob Wyatt" as close to the 9pm deadline as possible. She managed to get the release started as soon as she hung up the phone, but no one would let her go until he came to take her. On the one hand, it made sense- they weren't about to risk her driving (even though tests _proved_ she wasn't suffering heat stroke), on the other hand there was a very real risk of his identity becoming known every second he sat beside her- even with the aviators covering half his face (like a total moron _indoors_ and _at night_ ).

"Can we make a stop? I want to pick up my car."

"You're not driving."

"Relax- I'm like 75% sure if we fold the back seats down this thing will fit… Motorcycles can lay on their sides, right?"

"This one? Yes."

"Good, then I'll give you directions."

* * *

The Lake Monroe dig site was in a relatively untraveled corner of the reservoir. Even so- considering the gear and artifacts not yet exhumed whatever company was funding the dig had set up temporary fencing and hired a security firm to guard the site.

"Hey, Malcolm!" Samantha removed her helmet and crossed the parking lot as soon as they'd stopped.

"Samantha! You're supposed to be _resting_." Steve caught up with her easily, "What are you doing?"

"If it was the heat, then my site will be empty. If they were screwing around, that box will be with the artifacts awaiting pickup. If… I don't know- but I'm betting it's still in my quadrant. Help or hinder?"

"Is this the only way to get you home?"

"Short of knocking me out and dragging me back?" He nodded, "You bet your star-spangled ass."

"OK," Steve grumbled, " _fine_." He took a deep breath and stared at the sky, hands on hips.

" _Thank you_." She tapped his shoulder and he leaned over with a sigh. Once he was finally at her level she pecked his cheek, then quickly nipped his earlobe- their code for ' _sex tonight'_.

"You. Rest. Tonight." He continued to grumble, but there was a twinkle in his eyes that told her he wasn't really angry. As Samantha turned back to the portly security guard coming up to the gate, Steve caught her arm, "Wait- I'm sorry for my tone just now. I was worried and- just, sorry." He returned her kiss and swept her hair back, lightly pinching her ear in the process.

"This has just been bugging me all day… But I've been a bit _demanding_ and… I'm sorry for that too." It was their official policy to bury all fights or spats as quickly as possible. Steve was often called out abruptly on Avengers business and after their first lover's quarrel was turned into a three-day ordeal thanks to Hydra, security measures were put in place.

"Samantha? I heard you were going a bit nuts this morning. Weaver said you were taking off for a week or so for your health. Who's your friend?" Steve winced as Malcolm pointed the LED flashlight straight into his eyes and held up a hand to cover them.

"That's my boyfriend Jacob. He's taking me home from the hospital-"

"Hospital? Oh no, what happened?"

"Too much sun- _maybe_. Anyways, I lost my phone, I think it's here. Can we come take a quick look? I can't really wait until Weaver let's me back in, it's supposed to _rain_ Monday."

"Sure, sure," Malcolm opened the gate for them, "but make it quick, then get on home, alright? Lots of water, rest, and good food, you hear?" His question (and the flashlight beam) was directed at Steve.

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Need any help?"

Samantha smiled as she stepped inside, "No, it's OK. We've got this."

"Alright. I'll do a lap, but when I get back I'm locking up. You have ten minutes."

"Thanks," Steve followed her around covered plots to the main tent. Inside were the day's findings- a few arrowheads, some pottery shards- only Samantha hadn't found anything to contribute to the haul- _maybe_. No large metal boxes sat beside the guard's post.

"OK, it must still be in there then," Samantha pulled Steve through the darkness to her plot- tarped over thanks to Caleb (most likely). She yanked up two of the stakes and pulled the tarp back as Steve brought up the flashlight on his phone, "What the- please tell me you see this?"

"Oh, I see it alright," Steve grimaced. There _was_ a clear indent of some sort of large, smooth object. The box she'd seen was gone, but in the center of the exposed space was a raised portion in a _very_ specific pattern, "Sammy? I'm so, _so_ sorry for this." He pulled her close with one arm and dialed his cell, "Thor? Without telling the others, how fast can you get to Indiana?"

* * *

Malcolm wasn't happy when he returned and saw the couple still standing there. He was _really_ unhappy when Steve exercised his authority to declare the site closed for an Avengers-related investigation, placed the guard under a "black-bag gag-order", _and_ forced him to call in Professor Weaver and Caleb Hall. Basically, by the time Thor thundered down (pun intended) he had three _very_ unhappy men waiting in the tent while he looked through the site with Samantha. Nothing could be done about Malcolm (except for the already-employed threats), but Steve kept Caleb and the Professor from seeing her with him. The fewer people who knew they were _affiliated_ the better.

"What have you discovered, Steve Rogers?" Thor smiled and nodded to Samantha as a dozen remote Iron Man suits landed and set up their own small perimeter, generating a retro-reflective wall around a portion of the dig site. No curious eyes allowed.

"It's all her." Steve nodded to Samantha, "Thor- this is Samantha Cidero. Samantha, this is _Ambassador_ Prince-"

"So you are the famous _'Gym'_." He grinned and bowed his head slightly, "Just Thor is fine, Lady Cidero."

"And just Samantha is fine." She was shy of the towering Asgardian, admittedly a tad bit afraid, but with Steve's gentle prod she managed to find the words to explain their predicament, "So- this morning I came across a box of some sort. Three feet by five, ten inches deep or so-" she gestured to the rock to emphasize the dimensions, "-it had a seam an inch from the top, otherwise there were no markings I saw."

"What did the box look like? Was it wooden or metal?"

"Metal. Um- something we call Damascus steel? Think the _look_ of wood, but layered steel."

Thor nodded, "It is common enough on Asgard. Your ancestors no doubt gleaned the technique from one of our smiths or studied weapons left behind in battle." He sighed, "Where is it?"

Samantha shook her head, "The others acted like they couldn't see it, I got frustrated, touched it- next thing I know I'm in a hospital bed and it's seven hours later."

"Wait-"Steve turned, "you said you were out for a few _seconds_!"

"I didn't want you to worry. If _this_ hadn't happened I was going to tell you… tomorrow? Maybe?"

He wasn't angry, but his voice held a definite edge, "It worries me that you _didn't_ tell me!"

"I'm sorry," she took his hand and squeezed slightly, "really. I just didn't want to say it over the phone in case you flew the entire Avengers lineup with you to Indiana for _nothing_." He pulled her in for a hug (and stuck his tongue out in response to Thor's smirk), "In the interest of _full_ transparency, you should know that I had a pretty weird dream while I was out- it was as real as us standing here now."

Thor held up a hand and Steve turned Samantha to face him. He put a finger to his lips and then pointed to the men in the tent, "You all! Who moved the box found in this hole?"

"THERE WAS _NO_ BOX!" Professor Weaver was more than a little irate at being summoned.

"I love you all!" Caleb wasn't exactly coherent when he saw Captain America, now with Thor added to the mix he looked like his head was going to explode.

"Caleb- box where?" Samantha tried an easier question.

He couldn't see who the voice came from, but he responded all the same, "NO BOX! ONLY CRAZY SAMMY! Tell Black Widow I love her too!"

Thor turned to Steve, "I believe them. Send them away before we proceed."

Steve was surprised, but he did as Thor asked. Caleb had to practically be dragged out- Malcolm and Weaver were just happy to get the hell out of dodge before whatever trouble usually followed the Avengers came calling. By dawn Weaver would be on an airplane bound for Argentina, _just in case_.

"How bad is it?" Steve kept hold of Samantha's hand.

"Perhaps not too bad," Thor assured him, "but… There's always danger." He rested a hand on the raised pattern- one eerily similar to the symbol engraved upon Mjolnir, "It is Asgardian, without doubt. I fear, Lady Samantha, you have chanced across an Asgardian weapons cache."

" _What_?!"

"Do not worry until we know the nature of this discovery, Steve. During the break between the first and second Jotun Wars my grandfather, King Bor, hid emergency caches of weapons throughout your world, lest our armies require supplies. No relics _should_ be among them, yet there is no way to say precisely what was uncovered… The size of the cache is particularly strange- the ones hidden by my grandfather would have been many times this size- but something of this stature _may_ hold such a thing." He touched the symbol, "Asgardian characters are _very_ particular, Steven. Though this looks undoubtedly similar to that upon Mjolnir, it is quite different. It is not a seal I recognize, and that gives me pause."

His hand touched the edge of a portion and it crumbled. Thor stepped back suddenly, eyeballed it, and raised his hammer, "There is something else here…" He whipped it around above his head a few times, immediately striking up a strong wind. He let the wind blow for a few moments before lowering the hammer. The indentation was an inch further down, and an entirely _new_ symbol was hidden beneath the false one, "Someone crafted the false base to hide this," he touched it- and this time it held. Three interwoven triangles, identical to those seared into Samantha's memory, seemed to shine back at her, "How did you come across this site?"

Samantha shrugged, dazed, " _Chance_. We got here to set up and I saw a native woman digging around. When I came over she was just _gone_. I don't know, I was curious."

"The box sought you out- when?"

"A couple weeks ago?"

"And you two have been together-?"

"Four months," Steve confirmed.

"When I moved to Midgard to stay permanently as Ambassador," he nodded. "Asgardian technology is capable of seeking out a person. It is possible your affiliation with Steve somehow alerted it to trace amounts of Asgardian energy."

Steve shrugged, "We use my shield with your hammer to zap enemies often enough, I've probably got radiation or something on me that was passed over."

"Or someone wanted this box found," he examined the form again and shook his head, "someone wanted us to think that was one of King Bor's weapons caches- it may yet be- but this… _this_ worries me. Samantha- your vision?"

It was as vivid and clear as if the vision were repeating itself. Samantha relayed it in its entirety, leaving out nothing. She expected some sort of "Aha!" from Thor, not a blank stare as she reiterated every last detail. The box belonged to his grandfather- _maybe_ \- it sought him out through her and gave her some freaky war-vision, but he looked at her like she was crazy.

"I take it this isn't ringing any bells?" Steve put his arm around her and pulled her against his side.

"No… What you saw was a battle between the Jotun and Asgard next to a pillar of the Bifrost, based on your description. There have been only _two_ Jotun Wars in our history- neither with a battle fought near a Bifrost site. Of those two wars one was fought in times long before the reign of King Bor, and the other well into my own father's time upon the throne. The Valkyrie fought in both, true, but nothing the likes of which you describe."

"Can you have someone look into it at least? Someone cared enough to hide the box and draw a decoy-symbol."

"Of course I will, do not worry," Thor smiled warmly to Samantha, in part to ease Steve's own frightened expression, "I will endeavor to learn all I may. Until then, Lady Samantha, might I suggest you be _kept close_?" he looked pointedly at Steve.

Steve and Samantha both balked, "Bring her to Avengers Tower? With-" he thought immediately of Tony and Clint, " _them_?"

Samantha tightened her grip on his hand, "If the vision was nothing to worry about then why do I need to be _kept close_?" Thor wasn't overly intimidating but Steve liked keeping her as a secret from his teammates. She felt as though this was forcing his hand. _Was it really a vision, or just a heat-induced dream? Was the box really-_ she looked at the form it left behind- _OK, so it was real. But that doesn't mean it was a threat!_

Thor was hiding something and Steve was fairly positive it wasn't good, "The symbol you described- this one here?" he confirmed with her before proceeding, "it is an ancient one to my people… The true meaning has been lost in time, but when I was a child one would use it to invoke…" he struggled with the word for a moment, "I believe your people called it a 'Boogeyman'."

"Boogyman?" Steve and Samantha made the same expression, "You're saying the _Boogeyman_ is after my girlfriend?"

"I am _saying_ this symbol has been known across the nine Realms as a dark omen for many, many millennia, one to inspire _fear_. It may well be nothing, but the vision was given to Lady Samantha. While I look into this matter I know, were it Jane Foster, I would wish to keep a close watch over her. A dark omen and a missing weapons cache- I am not keen to discover the link between the two. She should be guarded, and they _are_ the most qualified to keep her safe."

Steve turned to study Samantha as he considered Thor's words, "OK," he stroked her cheek lightly, "Alright?" she nodded, "Then let's go pack a bag." He turned and gave Thor a half-smile, "Want to ride back with us in the jet or fly back?"

Thor wasn't smiling, he seemed weary, "I will remain to see you safely on your way- and fill in the other Avengers, then I must report news of this discovery to Asgard and the Realms."

_That_ sealed the deal in Steve's mind more than anything. _Thor_ looked scared, and he was willing to stay to guard them until the pair were in the jet. He'd downplayed the threat for Samantha's benefit, but something was _very_ wrong.

_Not the 'Boogeyman'_ , Samantha barely heard the whisper. It was so faint that she couldn't even be sure it wasn't her imagination. She felt something- a cold shiver like a blade touching her spine. There was a pressure on the shoulder Steve wasn't holding, like someone else was just behind her. She smelled something rotted and derelict, then clearly heard a high, crooning voice whisper in her ear, _"_ _I am so, so much worse._ "


	6. Chapter 5

** Chapter 5 **

"Last chance- we could go into hiding somewhere-"

"Steve-"

"-underground."

" _Steve_ -"

"-or in the Bermuda triangle…"

_"STEVE_ -"

"Somewhere they'd never find us."

" _Seriously_?"

"I'd rather fight the Chi'tauri again… _Naked_."

Samantha hit his chest with the back of her hand. They were docked in Avengers Tower, the hanger doors were closed, and yet Steve made it as far as the ramp before he'd locked up. They'd been standing there so long that _Tony_ had already come by to knock on the hull and ask if the gangplank was broken, "We have to leave the ship sometime."

"Hey Sammy?"

"Yes Crazy?"

"Promise you won't dump me because of them?" She turned his head and went on tip-toes to kiss Steve. He held her against his side with one arm before allowing her to drop back down, "OK… but that counts as a promise." Steve leaned over and hit the ramp release. His stomach tightened and he could _feel_ the blood rushing from his cheeks as it lowered.

He expected to be swarmed. Tony would be there, firing off quips and comments a hundred per minute; between Clint and Natasha they'd collect enough hair samples and ask enough "innocuous" questions to run a SHIELD-level background check; Bucky would either scowl from the corner, attack, or joke about Steve having to find _him_ dates now (depending on what mood he was in); Banner would- well, he'd be the normal one; and Sam would probably try to act as a buffer between Samantha and Tony, yet somehow still put the girl on-edge with his own brand of comedy. Simply put- it'd be chaos.

Well, the one thing he got right was _Tony's_ presence. He was over at a computer bay running diagnostics on the ship, "Oh, you got it down? I was just looking for a fault in the system." He ambled over in jeans, a cardigan, and house slippers (honestly the most upsetting part of the _bizarre_ ensemble), more non-threatening and non-Tony than Steve had ever seen. "You must be Samantha?" he held a hand out and shook hers, "I'm Anthony, and you are _most_ welcome here. We'll make sure you feel right at home while we get this whole matter sorted out." He smiled and clapped Steve lightly on the shoulder, "Steven, welcome home! Are you two hungry? I know it's quite late, but if you're interested there will be dinner in the communal dining room at midnight. James made a pot roast!"

"Um, sure, that sounds good."

"Wonderful! Just _wonderful_. I admit, I already ate with Miss Potts, but I just can't resist a good pot roast!" Tony's voice never rose above what Samantha considered library-level, lower than normal speaking volume for sure, "Well, I will leave you two to settle in. James will be _so_ happy to hear you plan on joining us! Samantha, Steven." He nodded to each before ambling out.

Samantha bit her tongue and glanced up at Steve, "Are you alright? The vein in your forehead is standing out."

"I think I'm having a- a stroke?" he looked down at her, "That just happened, right?"

"Yes it did. Tony doesn't seem so bad." Steve just frowned in the general direction of his lab, "Come on, you heard the man," her stomach rumbled loudly, "We have an hour, and I kind of want a shower, so-"

"Yeah," he was still staring after Tony- or the person wearing Tony's face, "yeah… Oh! Um, follow me."

Avengers Tower was half-home, half not-so-secret-base. As they left the hanger Steve absentmindedly pointed out the peculiarities- Tony's main lab, the mission locker room (there was another one floor up near the gyms), a bar overlooking a chic, glass-walled living space, the staircase leading to both a lounge and more laboratories, the first-floor gym, the _private_ staircase, the second floor training rooms and arms range, the meeting room, living room library, media lounge- somewhere in that general direction was where Natasha, Banner, and Thor's rooms were, the _third_ _floor_ gym and- finally- the rest of the apartments.

"Bucky and Sam are in my guest suites for now," Steve indicated the far end of a window-lined hall where a large plastic tarp blocked off a section, "that was level 2 of the armory, a second meeting room, and an old robotics lab Tony moved to the floor below the hanger. When the renovation is done Bucky and Sam will move in, plus there will be three more apartments in case we grow again."

"Guest _suites_?"

Steve smiled (finally) and shrugged, "One thing I will give Stark- he was generous with the re-design after the Battle of New York." He led Samantha down the hall in the opposite direction. Dark mahogany doors lined this hallway, each with a different symbol- A purple bow and arrow, a red and gold helmet, and- on the last door- Steve's shield above a white star and red wings.

He touched the center of his shield and Samantha heard a soft _click_. Steve turned the knob and lightly pushed it in. The lights kicked on immediately, revealing a foyer roughly the size of her living room. Wood-paneled walls, a red rug, and a two brown leather sofas gave it a warm, homey feel. Steve led Samantha through an archway at the back, "This is just for visitors." A sharp left and quick right through another arch on the parallel wall took Samantha to the apartment proper, " _This_ is home."

It was surprisingly large, especially considering they were in a New York City skyscraper. To the left was an impressive kitchen, ahead a half-wall separated the living and dining rooms. On the wall to the far right were three doors, "I'm on the left, Bucky in the middle, Sam to the right. Now, Bucky's- he's still pretty rough- so Sam and I take turns sleeping with the doors open. Just in case. I'll sleep on the couch during my shifts, so you're safe. If anything happens though, don't worry- Tony lined his door with magnets. He can't get through it. We learned that lesson after he nearly took Sam's eye out with a fondue fork his second night out of the holding cell…" Actually, it was just under two weeks ago, but he wasn't about to tell _her_ that.

Samantha squeezed his hand, "Based on what you told me, he's gotten a lot better since you brought him in."

"I just wish I could see even a _month_ into the future and know for sure if he'll still be here or in some prison. The problem with a _secret_ trial and a _secret_ pardon is it's, well, _secret_. If he pushes the wrong buttons on General Ross things could get ugly…"

"He'll be here," she said confidently, "you'll see."

"I hope so," he kissed her, "thanks."

"For what?"

He shrugged, "For being optimistic. I'm still working on that." Steve nudged her towards his door and followed with the suitcase. Inside was a spacious bedroom with a full wall devoted to a view of New York City. Steve's computer sat against an adjacent wall on an L-shaped desk, with his sketchbooks and pencils neatly arranged so he might look out across the city as he drew.

Samantha went to stare at the nightscape in awe as Steve set her suitcase on the king-sized bed. He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. She reached back and held his head in her hands as they both gazed at the city, "An hour until dinner," he glanced at a clock. The reminder was meant simply to let her know there was no rush, she could watch the city for as long as she wanted. He grinned broadly as she slid a hand back to pinch his ear, "Tell me you brought them, because I don't have any on hand."

"Half a box, in the top of my suitcase."

"In that case, wanna know the two best things about having an apartment designed by an ex-playboy?" Steve went to retrieve the condoms from her bag.

"What?" Samantha smiled as she turned.

"The first is soundproof walls," he found the box and waved her over to the bathroom door. Once she was by his side he pushed it open, "the second is a shower built for two."

* * *

At midnight, Steve led Samantha through the back halls of Avengers Tower towards the communal kitchen and dining room on the first floor. As soon as the smell of roasting beef, carrots, potatoes, and onion reached his nose he felt a pang of hunger, "Holy cow Buck, that smells good!" he called ahead as they rounded a corner.

"I remembered my mother's recipe!" Bucky grinned proudly as he set steaming bowls of vegetables on the table. Two black roasting pans were on the kitchen stove where Sam and Clint each worked on slicing a slab of beef. "Samantha, right?" Bucky came over to shake her hand, "I am James Barnes." He spoke in the same mild cadence Tony had, which put Steve right back on edge.

The Avengers came one-by-one to shake her hand, always mindful to step back a few feet afterwards so Samantha wasn't swarmed. Their calm, peaceful dispositions and the sheer number of sweaters in the room made Steve even more uncomfortable.

Clint set both plates of beef down as Sam followed with saucers of gravy, "Dinner is served!" he too shook Samantha's hand, "Or- should you have said that James? This is your masterpiece, after all."

"Oh _pshaw_ , you all agreed to humor me instead of ordering something _hours_ ago. This victory is only possible because of you all." He waved Samantha and an increasingly agitated Steve to the table, "I hope you are both hungry?"

"I haven't eaten since breakfast, I'm famished," Samantha tugged at Steve to get him moving.

"Samantha? Steven? What may I get the two of you to drink? We have _everything_ ," Banner took orders, grabbed Natasha for help, and together they brought in glasses of soda, water, and wine as requested while serving plates were passed around.

It was about half an hour of pleasant conversation later, when Clint _insisted_ Bucky let him clear the table 'because it is the least I can do after such delightful fare' that Steve finally lost it, "OK, what the hell is wrong with you people?!"

Clint looked surprised and offended, " _Steven_! _Whatever_ is the matter?"

"You should be mindful of such strong language in the presence of ladies," Tony chided.

"Your mother, God rest her soul, raised you better than that. As Miss Sarah always said, 'You are a smart boy, you can use _smart_ words'." Bucky actually did the _tut-tut_ finger wiggle at his friend.

"YOU'RE ALL ACTING WEIRD! And Clint keeps talking like someone from 'Downton Abbey' or something!"

"Steven, I do not know what you mean." Natasha shook her head, "We always act like this. You know that. Perhaps the stress is getting to you?"

"No, it's not. You know damn well you're all acting weird and it's _creepy_ … AND WHY AREN'T ANY OF YOU USING CONTRACTIONS?!"

"That was not a ' _smart word'_ , Steven." Bucky even added air-quotes this time.

"CRAM IT, BARNES!"

"I think you have simply had a long day," Sam suggested, "maybe some rest will help."

"Or a bubble bath?" Clint's eye twitched.

Samantha put a hand over her mouth, which Steve immediately noticed, "What? I swear! They're _never_ like this!"

"I think Sam and Clint are right. JARVIS? Draw up a bubble bath for Steven. Perhaps some aromatherapy candles. Nice, fuzzy slippers… and a fluffy bathrobe. The pajamas with the little booties," Clint was staring _hard_ at the ceiling as Tony spoke. Stark's voice hitched up an octave on the word ' _booties_ '.

"KNOCK IT OFF, AND STOP CALLING ME STEVEN!"

"Nearly 1, is it so unreasonable to admit you are tired? After such a long, strenuous day? You flew in this morning, we spent all afternoon fighting Hydra, then you ran straight back out to Indiana to retrieve this charming, lovely young woman."

"STOP BEING REASONABLE! AND NATASHA- STOP GOING ALONG WITH THEM!" Samantha couldn't help it. When Steve snapped at Natasha she burst out laughing, "What?"

"Steve, they're messing with you," she wiped tears from her eyes as she continued to laugh.

"Wait- what?"

"Trying to get a rise out of you by acting innocent? It's a kid's prank, it's cute."

"HEY!" Clint suddenly shouted and jumped up from the table, "DON'T CALL MY SCHEME 'CUTE'! I'll accept nothing short of 'nefarious'." The entire table erupted in laughter. Even Banner was having trouble catching his breath at Steve's incredulous stare.

"Oh thank god, I can be free!" Tony ripped off his cardigan to reveal the inevitable 80s rock t-shirt beneath.

"That was a _joke_?" Steve gaped at Bucky, who was wheezing more than laughing, "You're all insane!"

"JARVIS? How are those calculations going? We need to complete the serum to resurrect Steve's sense of humor, stat!" Tony threw his napkin at Steve's head.

"How fast did you get it?" Sam winked at Samantha.

"Know that we will be judging you based on your answer," Tony winked.

"Basically when the ramp of the ship came down?" She chuckled and pinched Steve's ribs to get him to smile, "You were a bit pod-person nice. Whatever it was, it was a bit unnatural."

"Thor's not here, so I'll say it," Sam shot Samantha a thumbs up, "You're worthy!"

Natasha, the only one who'd been acting _relatively_ normal, was studying Samantha carefully, "It's good that you can read people, and I'm glad you're not the type who scares easily. I know plenty of women who wouldn't be so upbeat with an Asgardian boogeyman after them."

"Clint being one," Banner couldn't resist taking a cheap shot at his friend. It was rare enough for _anyone_ to beat Tony, Clint, or Bucky to a quip. All three nodded their approval- even the target!

"You guys _never_ work together long enough for a group prank," Steve was still processing everything, "what are you, _twelve_?"

Tony snapped his fingers and shrugged as Suits came in to clean up, "What can we say? You kept a _lady friend_ from us for four months. We're hurt. You trust us with your life, but not your heart."

"This was your punishment," Clint opened his eyes wide and dropped into an ominous voice.

"But- Banner? Nat? You two agreed to this?"

"We were told it was the only way to get dinner."

"Besides, the kitchen smells were torturing me," Banner shrugged, "I couldn't read in peace."

"Can you people not act like adults for _once_?"

"They were," Natasha got up and patted Steve's shoulder as she left the room, "it freaked you out. Goodnight _kids_ , Samantha."

The Avengers took that as the cue to break ranks and head off to bed before their dinners caught up with them. Not everything they said was bull- it _had_ been a long day, and they were all exhausted, "Don't diss the 'Downton'." Clint warned Steve as he followed Banner out.

Sam offered Samantha a high-five as he passed. She watched them trickle out one after the other over the course of ten minutes. The whole time Steve argued with them, returned their quips, and soon enough his good mood came out again. Samantha held his hand under the table and watched them all with the same care they'd used to study _her_. As they left she took note- they all said "Goodnight" to her, and they all touched _him_ in some way- either with a fist-bump, high-five, or just hitting him on the shoulder (or by slapping him up the back of his head then bolting from the room, as Tony had done).

When they were alone she looked over and smiled at him, "Quick question? Have they always acted so much like frat-boys?"

"No," he grumbled, "they've been getting _a lot_ worse. They used to be _mature_. Well, at least more mature."

"When did it start?"

"I don't know," Steve shook his head, "there was a prank war the weekend after we met." He finally looked over, "Why?"

She smiled and laid her head on his shoulder, "You're a bit tired of fighting, right?"

He shrugged, they'd talked about all of this before, "I _like_ being an Avenger, it's just-"he tipped his head onto hers, "I wish it didn't get in the way of _this_. You make me happiest. When I'm with them it's Captain America time, when I'm with you Steve Rogers gets to breathe a bit."

"You're spending all of your happy-time with me, and your serious-fighter-time with them." She looked up, "They're worried about you, you big Grinch. All they get is Grumpy-Steve. They think you're drifting away. You kept _me_ secret, that says you don't _trust_ them, but they trust you with everything."

"When did you get that psychology degree?"

Samantha laughed and nudged Steve, "My foster-sister's a shrink. We were roommates when I was an undergrad and she did her master's work. You pick stuff up."

"Ah, the infamous _foster-sister_ ," Steve raised an eyebrow, "Well? You've met _my_ family, when do I get to meet yours?"

" _After_ the Boogeyman. Let's not worry her. She can be a bit... _protective_."

"Can I have a _name_?"

"Nope. Her rules, not mine. She's convinced if you get her name you'll drag her into trouble. She was mad enough that _I_ started dating you."

"She really doesn't like Avengers, huh?"

Samantha shrugged as best she could with her head under Steve's, "She _loves_ you guys… She just doesn't want _me_ to get involved with you all. Besides, you all probably have more crazy than she could handle in a hundred lifetimes."

"So when _do_ I get to meet her then? Never?"

"Not _never_ ," she thought about it, "tell you what- if the Boogeyman gets too close, I'll tell you who she is, my next-of-kin."

"Be serious," Steve laughed, then sobered, "No Boogeyman is getting within a thousand miles of you. Asgardian or no- I'll kick his ass."

"Sounds good," Samantha heard his breath hitch up for a second, then his body tensed, "come on, let's get you to bed _super-soldier_. Before you fall asleep at the table."

"I'm not tired."

"That wasn't a yawn just now?" she slid over to sit on his lap and looked directly at him while faking a yawn. He responded with a real one almost instantaneously, "That's what I thought."

"I'm not tired, see?" He scooped her up and stood, "I'll prove it, I'll carry you all the way upstairs." His eyelids were heavy, and he seemed to be blinking one eye a bit slower than the other. Samantha smiled and let him make his little display of strength. She'd slept in his arms the night before, but she knew he hadn't caught any z's. A big mission, a small clean-up one, two nights of no sleep, the stress of flying everywhere- including to pick her up at the hospital and take her into hiding from some unknown _possible_ enemy, _plus_ sexy-fun-times? He had to be dead on his feet by now. Stamina-of-ten-men or no.

Halfway up to the room Steve got a little close to a wall and almost bumped Samantha's head on it. She made the old man put her down and they held hands instead all the way up to the apartment, "OK, maybe I'm a _little_ tired." The apartment proper was dark, but she could see Sam's door open. He was taking Bucky-Watch tonight, evidently.

Steve barely made it through brushing his teeth without falling asleep, and as soon as he so much as _touched_ the newly-made bed (thank you JARVIS) he tipped over fast asleep with the faintest of smiles on his lips, "Goodnight, Crazy." She whispered softly and kissed his forehead.

"Mmm'night, Darling."


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Around three in the morning Samantha gave up trying to sleep. She knew she should be exhausted, but she just felt wired. Normally she'd grab a book and lay across the couch until her insomnia passed, but thanks to the open-door rule of Steve's apartment there was nowhere in or out of his room where she could turn on a light without waking someone- except the bathroom. She watched the city at night for a time, but even that made her irate. She wanted to do something.

So, after going back-and-forth on the issue for half an hour, Samantha stood and threw on slippers before stepping out through the apartment proper to the hallway. "Hey, um, Mr. JARVIS?" she spoke softly in the dark hall- even though the whole place was supposed to be sound proof.

"Yes, Miss Samantha?" his voice was as soft as hers, either some sort of nighttime setting or in imitation.

"I'm a little wound up, is it alright if I go down to the library?"

"Absolutely. You have been granted unlimited access to all communal Tower areas."

"You'll let me know if I go somewhere I shouldn't?"

"I will," he promised, "though as I said, your access is virtually unlimited. Only the armory is locked."

"Thanks," she made her way to the staircase and headed down towards the library. Outside the doors she hesitated- just like when she'd been digging towards the Asgardian box there was something leading her towards the stairs. She felt like she was needed.

From the landing she heard a very soft clink of glass. Samantha hesitated, then slipped down the stairs to investigate the source.

_Not that this is any of your business._

She followed the hall at the bottom of the steps and noticed an eerie glow coming from the glass lounge. Samantha took a steadying breath, then peered around the corner and into the room.

A man sat hunched over the bar with both elbows resting heavily on the counter top. He was in sweatpants and a black tank top, and his pulled-back hair was creeping out of its tie as he stared intently at a half-empty Scotch glass before him. He breathed hard and ran a hand through his hair, pulling more out of the band keeping it back. Bucky picked up the glass and drained it in one large gulp. His head swayed as he looked back down at his metal hand. He opened and closed his fist several times, studying the motion, before grabbing a tall golden bottle and refilling his glass further than was generally accepted.

"Hunting boogeymen?" his voice was deep, rough, but clear enough to feign sobriety as he called out, "Any luck?"

Samantha balked. He couldn't have seen her, but he definitely knew she was watching. Her cheeks turned red with embarrassment and she stepped out from the doorway, "I'm sorry. I was just- I'm on my way to the library."

"You overshot by a floor and a couple of turns."

"Sorry, I'll just-"

"Pull up a stool." Bucky didn't turn, but he waved her over. He swayed heavily on his seat with the motion.

"I-"

"Pull. Up. A. Stool."

Samantha couldn't see a way to politely refuse, but her instincts said to get out as fast as she could without setting him off. As she slid a foot back, he visibly sagged in his seat. He hadn't decided yet which kind of drinker he was that night- angry or sad, and a sad drunk needed a friend. Samantha wanted to help him, as close as they both were to Steve she knew she had to win his approval over anyone else. She decided to make the gamble.

Bucky was sitting at the edge of the bar, so Samantha took a seat in the stool caddy-corner to his, "Good choice. Keep the counter between us, stay on the human side," he flexed both of his hands, comparing them. Samantha felt another shiver of fear. His voice told a lie his eyes and body couldn't keep up with- he was tanked. A POW with off-the-charts PTSD, triggers even Steve couldn't begin to guess at, and to top it all off he was drunk. It was a recipe for disaster. "Relax," he snorted at the sight of her tightly-clasped hands on the counter top, "JARVIS keeps me honest, right buddy?" he picked at the border between flesh and metal on his shoulder.

"Yes, Mister Barnes," it did nothing to calm her nerves. This was a bad decision.

"You didn't answer my question. Find any boogeymen?" Bucky reached over the bar-top for a bottle of wine and a glass. He popped the cork and slid both down to Samantha.

"I don't know that it's a boogeyman we're looking for," she wasn't about to tell anyone of the voice she'd heard at the dig site. Samantha poured a small drink and took a sip- more out of politeness than anything else. "The vision was a warning, I think. Not a threat." They were silent while she fiddled with the wine glass, "What about you? What has you up?" it was an unbelievably stupid question, one she wished she could take back instantly.

Bucky emptied his glass again and refilled it with considerable spillage, "Sometimes the voices don't stop… This helps. It's only once a week or so," he shot Samantha a sharp look, "I'm working on it with Doctor Cho. I'm not a drunk." His voice turned hard.

"I didn't-"

"Once- okay, twice a week, that's it! This stuff? Asgardian whisky? It's the only thing strong enough to touch a super-soldier and Thor controls the supply."

"That's fine-"

"I'm not a drunk!" he snapped, then took another gulp, "I'm not a drunk. It's just... a bad day…"

She was genuinely frightened, and she couldn't think of what to say. More than anything she wished she'd ignored whatever suicidal impulse brought her downstairs. She eyed the speaker above them, but JARVIS remained silent. She was alone. She edged back on her stool and Bucky shot her a hard glare. Samantha froze, cornered. She decided to try a different tactic, "The pot roast? You said it was your mom's recipe? That was really g-"

"I fucking googled it!" he practically spat, "Like I'd get a good memory." He laughed into his cup- or sobbed, Samantha wasn't sure which. He reached into the pocket of his pajama pants as he took a drink and pulled out a small, black notebook, "Don't tell Tony, you'll ruin the game." He slid it over to her.

Slowly Samantha picked the book up and opened it. Across the first few pages was a list of names, ages, and dates- all in red, "My kill record. What I remember, anyways. Every time that list gets longer, I come here to celebrate." He tipped his glass all the way back. Judging by his tone and the way he was practically chugging the bottle of whisky it was far from a celebration, "Quiz me. Any name- I'll say how they died. It's good for recall."

But bad for your sanity, "I believe you, it's al-"

"QUIZ ME!"

Samantha swallowed hard at his outburst, "A-Alexie M-Manovich? 63? A-April 27, 1972."

"I shot him point-blank, right in the back of the head so that the last thing he saw were his dead kids." Bucky reached out and grabbed Samantha's arm suddenly. She let out a soft yelp as his superhuman strength just about snapped the limb, "The kids weren't me," Bucky stared her down and twisted her arm to make sure she was listening. She whimpered, but bit her lip to get control, "My handlers did the kids. I only had Alexie. Only him!"

"O-OK."

He let go of her suddenly and took a swig directly from the bottle, "Another."

"U-um," she was beginning to wonder if she could make it out of the room before he caught her- or if JARVIS would ever step in. Considering how drunk he was she knew if she bolted he'd trigger and probably snap her neck as soon as he caught her. She saw no option but to try to ride it out and pray JARVIS was watching, "C-Candice Smitt, 47. December 12-"

"1964," he nodded, "40 Cal assault rifle from a mile out. Back then Hydra had the only tools capable of something that big. Another."

"I don't think-"

He turned to glare at her, "Another." His voice was low, practically a whisper.

"N-Nadya Ryker, 14-"she hesitated at the newest entry, "14? January 10, 2008." Most likely this was the person he was torturing himself over.

Bucky's face softened and he took a longer, slower drink, "Hydra prisoner."

"What happened?" she gulped. She was using his pain as a way to take the edge off of his temper. She felt guilty, but what else could she do?

Bucky filled his glass and drained half of it, "It was a mercy killing." He looked over with tears in his red eyes, "She- the things they had planned? What they were going to make me do to her? It was a mercy. By the time Dennisson came in to start the torture… Well…" he laughed bitterly and tears fell, "I wish someone was kind enough to slit my throat." He barely whispered t.

A tear slid down Samantha's cheek. She couldn't help but think back on the happy, smiling man from only a few hours ago. Now she was beginning to see what Steve meant when he said Bucky could take ugly, abrupt turns.

"Another."

"No." she closed the notebook and slid it back, "That was another life."

"People keep saying that." He laughed, then frowned, "Why do they keep saying that?" he was angry again, half-whispering, half-hissing, "That wasn't you. That wasn't your fault. That was another life," his mocking tone grew harsher as he went from a murmur to a shout. Suddenly Bucky jumped up and threw his glass on the floor at Samantha's side, obliterating it and sending shards flying, "WELL IF IT WASN'T ME WHY DO I HAVE TO LOOK AT HIS. FUCKING. MEMORIES?!"

Samantha jumped back when he threw the glass, but fear locked her in place as Bucky rounded on her. Suddenly, a dark figure blocked her vision of the madman entirely, "Are you alright Samantha?" Natasha's voice was hard as she faced down Bucky, hands up to keep him back, "Samantha?!"

"Y-yes," her whole body was shaking, she could barely find the word.

"I've got this, you head upstairs." Her tone made it clear Samantha had no say in the matter. She backed away slowly, using the wall for support where she could.

As Samantha reached the doorway Bucky crumbled into Natasha's arms, "Why do I have to see them?" his voice was a whimper as he sobbed openly into her shoulder, "Why won't they let me sleep?" she murmured softly in his ear and rubbed the back of his head with all the tender care of a lover.

Samantha turned and ran all the way back up the stairs, taking them two at a time as often as possible. Her heart pounded painfully in her chest. She'd never felt so awful before- as much as she pitied Bucky she was scared of him. Samantha was crying as she stopped outside of Steve's apartment. She couldn't stop the frightened sobs that wracked her body, so she slid down the wall onto the floor. Something dark rippled through her mind- whatever it was, she shied away from it.

A few minutes later the door clicked softly and Sam stepped out, alert. He was halfway out the door when his head snapped down. Sam took in the sight of her shaking against the wall and sighed, "You alright?" she nodded and wiped a tear from her cheek. Another just took its place, "Scary stuff, huh?"

"I wish I'd found the boogeyman…"

Sam sat down on the floor next to her, "I know the feeling. It's hard, not knowing what's going on in his head… Did you know Steve wouldn't let us help at first? He tried to take it all on by himself. I don't know how he survived." He shook his head, "It takes a lot out of you... I've talked Bucky down half a dozen times where he had the barrel of a gun in his mouth or a knife at his throat. As many times, I'd say, as I woke up and had to talk him out of killing me. Steve?" he whistled, "He handled it solo the first few weeks… I can't imagine how many times he's done it… It just about broke him. What happened this time?"

"He was drinking." Samantha wrapped her arms around her knees, "I had a foster father like that once, when I was really, really little. I didn't think I could feel that scared now… Is Bucky going to be OK?"

"It's scary, it's ugly, and it's a bigger mess than anyone should ever have to sort through," Sam patted her shoulder, "but he's fighting the good fight better than half would, as off as that sounds. Today was a bad day, we all knew on some level tonight would be rough- after a while you sort of see them coming. But… He'll get there. He's good most nights now, ones like these are becoming fewer and further between. He show you the notebook?" she nodded and wiped more tears, "Sooner or later he'll run out of names to put in it. He was credited with 24 targeted kills, our intel puts that closer to 47, who knows what the real total is? Once you add in the security guards, maids, bystanders, anyone who got in his way, it could be hundreds… What number was he on?"

"Twenty-three."

"Twenty-four bad nights left," Sam sighed, "but maybe we're halfway. Then hopefully he can start catching his breath and get his legs back under him. It feels like every time he gets close he remembers something that knocks him down again."

"I wish I could help."

"You and everyone else here. Thor even called a few healers in the Realms, everyone says the same thing- the only cure is time, patience, and love- even then it won't change the past, just open up his future. Should he be fighting with us? Probably not, it's a big part of what triggers nights like this, but helping people gives him something to be proud of. Nat called it 'Wiping the red from her ledger'… He hasn't tried to hang, shoot, or stab himself half as much since he started working as an Avenger. Maybe it does help…" Sam nudged her with his shoulder, "He'll get there. I promise- we just have to take the good with the bad. Ride the waves. The boy's like a dog that's been pulled off the streets… He'll come around eventually." A clock chimed somewhere in Steve's apartment and Sam stood, "Why don't you go back to Steve, try to get some sleep?" he didn't know if Bucky would be coming up, and just in case he wanted her safely tucked away, both of them out of one another's sight.

Samantha nodded and let Sam help her up, "Thanks."

"Don't worry about it." he patted her back as she stepped inside, "Welcome to Avengers Tower." As soon as he heard Steve's door close, Sam pulled his earbud out of his pocket and slipped it in, "Hey Nat?"

"Hey," he could tell she was whispering.

"Thanks for the heads up. She was sitting in the hallway."

"Do you think she understood it wasn't personal?"

"Yeah, I explained it all. I think he triggered some stuff for her as well… How's our guy doing?"

"He'll sleep it off at my place tonight."

"Alright, goodnight Natasha."

"Goodnight Sam."

Sam slipped the earbud into his pocket and stepped out under the nearest speaker, "Goodnight JARVIS, thanks for waking Nat up."

"You are most welcome."

* * *

 

Natasha quietly removed her earbud and set it on the cleaning and charging unit beside her bed- careful not to move too much. Bucky was mostly asleep, but he still moaned and twitched. It was going to be a rough night for the supersoldier.

He held Nat's right hand in his, and she gently brusged his hair away from his eyes with the other, "It's alright," she whispered to him in Russian as he whimpered, "it was mercy. She would forgive you." He drank to quiet the worst of the memories, but it only made them louder as he slept.

Bucky jerked back in response to something in his dream and raised his right hand to his jaw. As soon as he breathed in the smell of Natasha's skin, his body began to relax. It always helped, knowing she was close. She was his buoy, the one who kept it all from drowning him.

After three months in the wind Natasha was the one who found Bucky and convinced him to stay until the other Avengers made their way to the shack he called home. It bonded them, and the darkness of their pasts made him not only trust her, but look up to her. She was as lethal as he was, with nearly as many innocents lying bloody and dead in her wake; but now she was a hero. If she turned her fate around, maybe he could too.

_One day you will remember me, remember us._

She leaned over and kissed him lightly on the temple. Even asleep, he drew her hand to his mouth to brush his lips across her fingers. Bucky may not know yet what drew him so strongly to Natasha, but it was only a matter of time before those memories surfaced. They always did.

_You were the one who freed me from the KGB... On my life I swear, I will return the favor. As Avengers we will remind Hydra what we are capable of together..._


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"My Prince, how wonderful to see you here!" Tyr was hardly an imposing man in his old age, but when he clasped Thor's wrist with his one and only hand the Son of Odin could feel every last ounce of his strength, undiminished by time. He may appear the wizened old librarian, but he could still snap a person's neck if he so chose.

"Tyr, I have been remiss in my duties as both your Patron and, more importantly, your friend." He looked up at the six spires of the colossal Great Library of the Realms. Technically it belonged to Thor- a gift from his father upon his ascension to adulthood. The old Thor was both foolish and foolhardy though, he'd never bothered to lay eyes upon the place. All he had ever done for the Library was to name the old war hero Tyr as Chief Librarian.

Tyr smiled knowingly as Thor took in the sight of the Library for the first time, "I remember well the use of a library to my own young heart. You granted my request to live out my days in these hallowed halls. It is the greatest gift I have ever been given, and for it you need do nothing more to be called 'Friend'." Thor broke his gaze away and smiled once again, but there was a shadow across his eyes, "What is wrong?"

"Many things, and perhaps nothing at all. We must speak in private."

Immediately Tyr waved Thor down a golden path to the elaborately engraved silver doors of the palatial complex. Scholars and Librarians alike gaped at the Asgardian prince as he passed by. Both Aesir and Vanir mingled together in the endless rows of tomes and scrolls. Even a few Jotun sat together around a table, studying some ancient work.

At one point all Realms either looked to Asgard or fell beneath her armies. Four Kings ago, when the first of Thor's ancestors took the throne, the library was built. It was a rival in size and scope to even the royal palace- and by decree it was the only truly neutral zone in all nine Realms. No matter the conflicts between the races and peoples, the Library was open for all. That the Asgardian throne appointed the Chief Librarian was merely an act of tradition. Every written work from eight of the nine Realms was brought to the Library- either as a copy or in its original form. Tony Stark once described the Library of Congress- and though that building could fit in this Library a hundred times over, the intent behind them both were the same. Soon enough the Library would be expanded to include the knowledge of Midgard, and his ancestor's grand dream would finally be a reality.

Tyr led his Prince deep into the Library's stores. At the heart of the main hall- known simply as the Seat of Knowledge- lay what was quite possibly the most heavily fortified place in all nine Realms: The Black Archives. Inside was kept the darkest and most sensitive knowledge- books of torture, scrolls of illegal blood magic, sorcerer's curses, chapters of history too dangerous to be made public, and the Black Vault- within which the Valkyrie order stored every report, order, draft, census, and even personal letter sent by one of their own. If the stories were true they also had historical chronicles of all nine Realms dating back nearly one hundred thousand years, unseen by anyone outside of their ranks. Only those escorted by the Chief Librarian himself were allowed entry. Tyr even walked the Valkyrie's Chief Scribe to her office beside the Vault every morning, and each evening they left together.

Rows of guards from each Realm parted before him and magics unseen allowed the pair to pass through the ancient doors of the Library. Inside were rows upon rows of cabinets- some books were simply too dark and too powerful to be allowed within sight. It was safer to keep them locked away- even within the Black Archives. They passed a white marble wall with runes and sigils emblazoned on it in black glass- the Vault of the Valkyrie. Beside it was a closed door with the golden crest of the Valkyrie order. Beside it was another- this one marked with the seal of the Great Library. Tyr waved Thor inside the sitting room and closed the door behind him.

"We may speak freely here."

Thor waited for him to slide the bolt into place before he spoke, "A Midgardian ally has stumbled upon a curious find, and I fear all is not as it seems."

"Please-" Tyr directed Thor to a curved bench in the center of the room.

Thor told him everything from the box to Samantha's vision. He trusted his old mentor completely, "There have only been two Jotun Wars- and those were the only times in our history where Asgard called upon the Valkyrie to fight the Frost Giants- but there were no battles near a Bifrost gate. In fact, of all Bifrost sites in the Realms I know of none that match her description. I do not know if what she saw was a glimpse into the past or a portent of what is to come, but it cannot be ignored."

"You are correct that the Jotun Wars were the only time in which Asgard sought the aid of the Valkyrie," Tyr agreed, excited, "however- there was one other war made legend by time, where the Valkyrie enlisted Asgard to fight on their behalf. For that reason alone it was not called a Jotun War, but the Great Valkyrie War."

"The Valkyrie were formed to prevent inter-Realm conflict, not initiate one!" Thor was stunned, "My mother was High Commander of the Valkyrie- she told stories of their honor and dedication to keeping the peace!"

"The Valkyrie were not as honorable then as they are now. In this conflict, the Jotun may have been correct to strike… King Aegir the Grave fought the Jotun his entire reign in what would be known as the First Jotun War. He found himself allied with a young lieutenant of the Valkyrie whose sudden rise to the peerless rank of High Commander many believed was something he may have had a hand in… Your mother, may she feast eternally in the halls of Valhalla, unified the Valkyrie and Asgard through her love of King Odin… But Aegir and Sidhe- the Dark Commander- were more akin to a poison.

"For his support, legend says, Sidhe persuaded her Generals to increase the size of the Valkyrie from a few hundred to well over two thousand. They culled the Realms- sent out their Enforcers to take infants believed to possess even the potential to survive Valkyrie training." Tyr's voice dropped into a low whisper, "Asgard was not as powerful then as she is now. Another realm- more advanced yet perilously reclusive- resisted."

"Which one?" Thor leaned in, entranced by Tyr's story.

"No one knows. The Valkyrie, supported by the forces of most other Realms, laid waste to theirs. Only Svartalfheim stood with the Doomed Realm in battle, and you know what would become of them. A thousand years after the Culling the newly bolstered Valkyrie army was unleashed, and they tore through Jotunheim- it was very nearly a genocide.

"The Valkyrie's numbers were far too vast. Rather than the elite fighting force they had been, they were half-trained, ill-disciplined, and many of their own deserted to fight on the side of the Jotun. The revolt forced the Valkyrie to end their war with Jotunheim still intact. In the end, the only Realm they managed to destroy was one who must have possessed no military might- if they turned to Svartalfheim for aid."

"That was the First Jotun War?" Tyr nodded, "Then what led to the Valkyrie War?"

Tyr frowned, "No one knows, besides the Valkyrie's Chief Scribe, I suspect. What we do know comes from histories written by other realms… After Aegir died his son sat upon the throne of Asgard and proclaimed it the center of the Realms. During his reign the Jotuns were quiet, but they did their best to learn from their enemies and grew their populace exponentially. I believe another race must have aided them, for in the reign of King Gungnir a Jotun horde the likes of which the Realms had never before seen rose up and laid waste to the Valkyrie order- even Jotun within their own ranks joined in the slaughter- which I believe is why, of all races, only the Jotun are unrepresented in the Valkyrie ranks. Even now they have members of Dark Elven descent, Kree as well, but no Jotun."

"How did the battle end?"

"Those who have sought records of the Great Valkyrie War believe its fate was decided on the Field of the Fallen in Muspelheim. It is known they rebuilt their Bifrost Temple around the same century the battle is thought to have taken place. Of the nearly fifteen hundred Valkyrie who were said to have fought, only a hundred survived. The dead were so great in number they were left to rot in the soil, and a great silver tomb was erected to honor the dead. A tomb marked with-"Tyr traced in the air three triangles.

"Then that is the origin of the dark sigil?"

Tyr shrugged, "No one knows. Most traces of it have been destroyed, and those texts which remain reference a great culling of histories written during that time- I suspect by the Valkyrie. Another two King ruled and perished. The Jotuns quieted once again and then- it appears without warning- something terrible happened. We still do not know what. The tomb was destroyed, a Valkyrie war fortress rose in its place, and every other record we have of the sigil is tied to great massacres."

"How long ago was the tomb destroyed?"

"When your grandfather's grandfather sat upon the throne."

"Have you asked the Valkyrie to share their records on the incident? My mother said they always kept their own recorded histories."

Tyr nodded, "The Valkyrie won't even confirm the existence of the Great Valkyrie War, or the tomb. The Tomb exists in both Asgardian and Muspelheim chronicles, we know it existed, but the Valkyrie resist all inquests. They fear their own past, and none have ever succeeded in wresting that information from them."

"So I must plead my case to the Chief Scribe?"

"Based on what?" Tyr shook his head sadly, "The Valkyrie will say that the cache Lady Samantha discovered was filled with medical supplies- as its size would warrant. Her vision and the sigil hidden in dirt? They will say you- with or without my aid- conspired to have the Midgardian speak of it only to learn the truth of the Valkyrie War once and for all."

"You do not know that," Thor's frustration made his murmur sound more like a growl.

"I do, I saw it once before." Tyr rubbed his tired eyes, "When you and Loki were but children- taking your very first lessons in warfare and magic- an assassin slipped into your bedchamber in the dark of night and very nearly succeeded in cutting you both down as you slept."

"I have heard the tale before. Our guard was away from their post and you heard Loki's screams from across the courtyard. You raised the alarm and my father came into our chamber and killed the assassin himself."

Tyr nodded, "And?"

"And what?"

"And before the body could be identified the assassin vanished, leaving behind only the mark which your friend saw in her vision. Your mother was the High Commander of the Valkyrie. She went to Forseti, my predecessor, and sought his guidance. He told her what I tell you now- yet she returned empty handed and never stepped foot in this Library again. If the Queen of Asgard and the Valkyrie's own leader could not gain the information she sought to unravel the attempted murder of two princes, what makes you believe you will get any further with the dreams of a Midgardian girl younger than the edge on their blades?"

"We both know that was no mere medical cache in the crate. If the sigil of Mjolnir was laid over an assassins mark then I am pleased to believe I was their intended target… Yet that box was buried. It lured Lady Samantha in and gave her that vision. Something is coming, mark my words."

"I agree," Tyr was behind his prince, heart and soul, "I can only advise that you return to Midgard for now. Protect the girl and remain on high guard. If there is more to this then perhaps another clue will make itself known… But do not speak of your plight to others, not even your father. Voices in the royal palace tend to carry, and you cannot know who all listens when you speak."

"Who are you worried about?"

Tyr pointed to the wall shared with the Valkyrie archivist, "Wynd, Chief Scribe of the Valkyrie. If she hears of your search too soon she will bury what information they do have, and no matter what comes she will keep it hidden."

"What reason would this Wynd have to do so?"

"She was a Valkyrie officer once, one who rose through the ranks so quickly your mother began to groom her as a successor. Now she is a scribe in the Great Library- among a warrior sect there is no greater shame… She was the guard absent from her post when the assassin struck. She sees that night as the one which damned her path. Wynd is reasonable, but I do not believe she will risk helping you now." Tyr leaned in and spoke low, "Trust me, Prince Thor, and keep this from the Valkyrie as long as you can. You will find derailed ambition a far more dangerous foe than any monster in the night."


	9. Chapter 8

** Chapter 8 **

Samantha barely slept.

Every time she closed her eyes she either relived the scene on the battlefield or saw the featureless outline of her short-lived foster father. According to her sister they were there for only two months before he literally pushed them from the car in front of the Child Services offices. Still, all she could remember of him was the fear of a child cornered by a madman in a drunken rage.

She found herself watching the clock, counting off time until 7am finally rolled around and she could slip away into the bathroom and take advantage of those soundproof walls to make a call.

"What's up? You're awake early. I _literally_ just got out of bed."

"I-um- just wanted to give you a heads up before you saw something on the news…"

"Well, you're speaking calmly, clearly, and I don't hear a heart monitor beeping, so I'll skip the part where I ask if you're alright and go straight to- _why are you calling me from a bathroom_? We have a no-toilet policy."

Samantha didn't want her foster-sister to worry, so she went with a lie instead, "I wasn't feeling very good yesterday morning. No biggie, just kind of nauseous-"

"YOU'RE PREGNANT?!"

" _What_? No!"

"Just crossing another thing off the 'Concern' list. Proceed."

"The point is, I stayed home all day. Played hookie in case… I don't know, I got too much sun or something. Well, um, you know I have a _unique_ boyfriend?"

"Granted, my long-term memory is fuzzy before the second cup of coffee but- yes. I think I remember you dating someone way too old _and_ dangerous for you."

"Well, his friends sort of… _commandeered_ the dig site while I was out."

She heard nothing for a few minutes before her sister let out the breath she was holding, "OK, I'm backtracking, but just answer a few things for me- _are you ok_ , _what the hell happened,_ and perhaps most importantly- _whose bathroom are you calling me from_?!"

"I'm _fine_. Someone found something- probably from somewhere very, _very_ far away- if you catch my drift. Since everyone was in the area assessing the threat- which turned out to be nothing by the way- my boyfriend introduced me to his co-workers. With the dig shut down I have nothing to do so he brought me back to New York- _just to see the city_. I'll go back when the site is cleared. It's like- a couple's weekend… Except open-ended because I have no idea how long that far-away friend is going to be looking around."

The two were careful to avoid using any names or even the word 'Avenger' in their calls. It was Steve's suggestion- one her sister was more than happy to comply with. It kept both of them safe from any casual listeners on the street or anyone trying to listen in on purpose. As long as Steve and Samantha had been keeping their relationship a secret he could hardly ask Tony to secure her and her sister's lines without raising a ridiculous amount of suspicion.

"Looking around for _what_? What did they find? Was it dangerous? It seems like everything that comes from his neck of the woods is front-page news for destroying _cities_. Seriously Samantha, I don't like you being in New York with them. If I were going after you-know-who, it's the first place I'd target. _Nothing_ about that long-distance friend has been in the news for being pleasant. Everything from his home tries to kill people. It's like Australia- he's from the Australia of the galaxy.

Samantha sighed, "It's _okay_ , I swear. One of the students found some box his grandfather misplaced a long-ass time ago and there was just some weird graffiti on it. Nothing to be concerned with- probably vandals- but they're just making sure nothing else is in the area to be worried about. I saw a picture- it's a pretty box, but it's a box."

"What kind of graffiti? Is it a box big enough to hold a _weapon_?"

"Barely even big enough to be called a bread box, there's nothing to worry about. Even he said so- it's an empty box, you don't get more innocuous than that. The graffiti was just… scribbles. I don't know, I couldn't see them in the picture. Look, the site probably won't be closed much longer. I just _know_ it will be on the news because _they_ are involved and I didn't want you to worry."

"I worry because I don't want to see you dead. You know you're my favorite co-conspirator."

She chuckled and breathed a happy sigh. Her sister bought the story. If she knew any more she'd probably have a full-blown meltdown and single-handedly fight the Avengers to get Samantha out of the Tower. She could be… _protective_.

Her sister growled in frustration, "Please just tell me one more time you're alright. You know it wigs me out that you're dating _him_. I just- you're the only family I've got left Sammy. I feel like you're gambling with your life every day you two are together."

"I'm alright. I promise. Hey, you know what? You can help me with something. It'll take your mind off of that endless stream of worry that will turn your hair gray any day now. I need your professional opinion on something that happened."

"Fine, but I'm billing you." She was trying to get her good cheer back.

"Name your price."

"Before you go back to Bloomington we need _at least_ an afternoon together. I'm willing to drive to New York to make it happen. There's something I want to ask you about. Not right now, in person."

"Deal. So, the boyfriend has this friend…"

* * *

As soon as Samantha hung up she brushed her teeth, changed into a long-sleeve top with jeans, and turned the bathroom over to a groggy Steve. She kept her fingers crossed as she slipped out of his room into the bright living room.

Sam was sitting at the kitchen table, cooling down after a morning run with a glass of orange juice. He smiled softly at her as she slid into the chair across from him, "How are you doing this morning? Did you manage to get some rest after-"

"I'm fine, thanks again for sitting with me." She glanced at the bedroom door, "Look, I know you don't know me, until last night you didn't even know I existed, but- can I ask you a huge favor?"

Sam smiled and even let out a little laugh, "For Steve's girl? Anything."

"It's kind of a huge favor."

"I harbored fugitives, raided a US army base, and took out a super-secret spy organization because a guy I talked to once after my morning jog asked me to. That's the bar Steve set, and I _dare_ you to raise it. Ask away."

"Don't tell him about what happened last night?"

Sam sighed, "Samantha, Bucky needs to own up to what he does, not hide it. I get that you don't want to start something but-"

"I'm not saying cover it up, just let me handle it. My foster-sister is a doctor who _specializes_ in extreme cases of PTSD, she gave me some pointers on how to approach Bucky. All I'm asking for is a chance to talk to him without Steve getting all riled up. Please?"

" _If_ I agree to keep quiet, how do you plan on hiding the bruise? You can't wear long-sleeves forever, I'm betting he finds out before _lunch_." He held up a hand to stop Samantha's protest, "Everyone in this Tower has had that bruise at least once." He gave her the ' _come here_ ' gesture. Obediently Samantha slid up her sleeve, wincing against the pain that shot from her forearm into the tips of her fingers.

She couldn't hold her arm out in front of her far enough to reach Sam, but she did her best. He carefully took her elbow and guided her over to inspect the damage. A massive red welt stuck out from the skin- the size and shape of a human hand. Around the edges her flesh was bruised and even torn in a couple spots from the vicious twist Bucky had delivered, "I'm not going to just sweep it under the rug, but I don't want him in some throw-down with Steve over it."

"Except he's going to know the second he sees it," Sam frowned and gently bent her wrist down. Samantha jumped and tightened her fist- then winced again and looked away. He watched her with concern, "You need to have JARVIS take a look at this, I think there was some real damage done here. Safe money's on-"he looked behind Samantha and his eyes went wide.

" _What. The. Hell?"_ Samantha jumped at the angry voice behind her. Steve had somehow gotten out of the bedroom and snuck up on them without making a sound. Judging by Sam's face he hadn't even noticed Steve coming- and he was facing the damn door! He'd been too focused on her arm. Samantha pulled back from Sam as Steve growled, "I'm going to kill him."

"Wait-"she grabbed his arm with her right hand and held him in place. She had to think fast, "he was _protecting_ me!"

Steve froze, "Protecting you?" he turned to face her.

Samantha felt awful for lying to him _and_ her sister (the day was _not_ starting off in her favor), but she wanted to address Bucky on her own terms- which didn't include Steve having to go after his best friend for his girlfriend's sake, "Yes. He was protecting me."

"From what? When?"

"Last n- well, I guess this morning. I couldn't sleep, didn't want to disturb you or Sam by pacing around the apartment, so I went out into the Tower. JARVIS said he'd warn me if I went somewhere off limits so I figured it'd be alright… I thought I heard something downstairs and walked into the lounge and-"she held out her arm as best she could, "I slipped on a chunk of glass. Bucky caught me by the arm- granted a bit heavy-handed- but if he hadn't I would have landed on even bigger shards and there would have been a bloody mess."

"Bucky caught you?" Steve studied her face as best he could. Luckily she'd learned to lie quite well in foster homes.

"He'd left the room to grab something to clean up a broken cup and I walked straight into it."

Steve looked to Sam, "Where's Bucky now?"

"Nat's place, sobering up."

"He was _drunk_?"

Sam nodded, "You didn't see him after dinner settled. He was flashing- _hard_. Before you two came up he went down to the gym to burn it off, but whatever he was remembering was _bad_."

"Okay, so he was tipsy," Samantha admitted, " _probably_ why he grabbed me so hard. I was surprised more than anything, I yelped a bit, and Natasha appeared. Bucky let me go as soon as I had my feet under me. He was a gentleman, I promise."

"A _drunk_ gentleman. Do you have any idea how dangerous he can be? _Especially_ under the influence?"

"He doesn't drink enough that it's a problem," Sam replied automatically, "Doctor Cho says it's alright to have a bit here and there so long as he doesn't start hitting it too hard."

Steve shook his head, "Samantha, I'm not doing this because I don't trust you, it's just that I need to make sure I know the whole story." He kissed the top of her head, "JARVIS?"

Samantha looked away and ground her teeth. _She_ wanted to sort this out with Bucky. She didn't want Steve playing the White Knight and she _really_ didn't want this setting the tone for her time in Avengers Tower. Now JARVIS was going to spill the beans and-

"It was as Miss Samantha said, Mister Rogers." Sam's eyebrows made their best attempt yet to reach his hairline- not that Steve or Samantha were paying attention to their feat, "When Mister Barnes dropped his glass I alerted Miss Romanov- as she was nearby- to perhaps confiscate his beverage. While Mister Barnes was retrieving a dustpan Miss Samantha entered, slipped, and Mister Barnes lept to her assistance. Miss Romanov entered a half-step behind him."

The tension visibly left Steve's shoulders as JARVIS spoke. By the time he'd finished the Avenger was breathing easier. She was just amazed JARVIS lied for her. Samantha felt even _more_ guilty, _This is a really, really bad day..._ "I'm alright. Really."

"Okay," Steve kissed her forehead again, "let me grab my shoes, I'll take you down to the med bay and JARVIS can check out your arm, alright?" he made a bee line for the bedroom before she even got a chance to answer.

Samantha looked over at Sam, miserable, "Don't judge me by this, please? I'm- I don't usually lie. I'm not that kind of person."

Sam laughed softly and offered her a smile, "I won't. I'll give you a tip though- if you get to her soon enough, Natasha will let you tell Steve whatever you want, if only to see how you handle this. Bucky?" Sam shook his head, "He won't lie to Steve. Most of his recovery centers on him being open and honest about what's going on in his head with his friends." He watched for Steve this time and settled back with his juice as Samantha was pulled towards the door, "Good luck, I hope everything works out alright!" Sam waited until he heard the main door close before putting down his glass, "This is going to blow up in her face."

JARVIS clicked back on, "Agreed, sir."


	10. Chapter 9

** Chapter 9 **

Thor gathered the team (and Samantha) as soon as he returned from the Great Library. He hardly had any information to share, but they deserved to know what he had found. The three triangles dated back to the Valkyrie War, but somehow were transferred to a failed royal assassin, now they surface hidden beneath a missing cache.

"So, even if the _boogeyman_ wasn't behind her vision, someone else was?" Banner shrugged, "I mean, I guess that's better. An organization or cult can be fought more easily than some ghost. No offense James, but I'm thinking fighting Hydra was easier than those months we all spent trying to bring _you_ in."

"I agree with you. Um, Samantha?" Bucky had slipped into the room just before Thor's report with a new notebook. He was focused on avoiding Steve's eyes- and when he caught sight of it, Samantha's new brace made him visibly wither. Now he played with the corner of the notebook before flipping it open and slowly sliding it across the meeting room table to her as if passing her a sensitive explosive. She couldn't tell if he thought she was afraid of him, or if he was afraid of _her_ , "Is this- um- what you saw?" Riddled with guilt, Bucky had gone straight to the library from Natasha's apartment. He was determined to find answers for Samantha- it was the only way he could think of even _beginning_ to apologize.

" _Yes,"_ her mouth fell open at Bucky's chicken-scratch drawing, "that's it _exactly_."

"Thor, maybe the old Norse were making stuff up to fill in the blanks, but according to what I found online and in the library this symbol is the 'Valknut'. Does that ring a bell?"

"As a brownie add-on."

"Not _walnut_ , Valknut. Clean your hearing aids, Clint." Hawkeye complied with his recommendation.

"The knot of the slain warriors?" goosebumps rose on Thor's arms.

"You know it then?"

"No, I was translating."

"Oh," he flipped a page, "well, according to Norse Mythology, it was your father's symbol. It represented the power to bind warrior's minds- freeze his enemies, make his men fight even if they were unwilling." Bucky hated this interpretation. It sounded too much like something from Hydra's playbook for comfort.

Thor just shook his head, "My father's inspiration is his own way with words. He holds no sway over the mind."

"Well, Thor said it was on a tomb, and it stands for 'knot of the slain warriors', that fits." Tony clapped his hands, "My money's on 'cult', who's with me?"

Bucky turned another page halfway, then shrugged, "Yeah, sure. I guess it makes more sense."

"Than what?" Samantha wanted to know what Bucky was so readily dismissing. Before Tony spoke, he was about to tell them something.

"It's nothing much."

"Sharing is caring," Clint reminded him as he pulled out his second hearing aid for inspection.

"Well, Samantha- you said you saw three women?" she nodded, "Was one of them veiled or something? Blindfolded maybe?"

"Yes," she leaned in, excited, "Well, her helm had no eye-slits, but that's like the battle-armor version of a blindfold."

"OK, then do the names-"he glanced at his notes, "Urda, Verdandi, or Skuld have any meaning?"

"Absolutely! The youngest one- Skuld. I heard the blind one call it out."

"Hate to break it to you Tony, but I think you just lost your bet." Clint flashed Bucky a thumbs up.

He handed the notebook off to Thor for inspection, "Thor- ever heard of the _Norn_?"

The word sent a shock-wave through Samantha that rocked her to her core. She grabbed Steve's arm as the whole room lurched and spun. The tables vanished, walls rolled, and suddenly she was underground in some dark, dripping room. She felt dizzy, horribly so, and her eyes couldn't seem to remain focused. She could still _feel_ Steve's arm beneath her hand, but the sensation had lost all meaning.

Something shifted in the cell ahead of her and Samantha froze. She could hear the scrape of chains on rock and heard a crooning whine, "You do not follow directions well." A high-pitched rasp came from just in front of her. The room was too dark, but Samantha was sure if she had light, the owner of the voice would be nearly nose-to-nose with her and so she prayed that the shadows remained, "I told you to stop digging, or watch your world burn. Would you like a preview, perhaps?"

"No-"Samantha's soft voice was lost in a blast of screams. She felt a moist, icy finger touch her forehead. A blinding flash of light made her flinch away and cover her eyes- but it didn't matter. The visions still came.

New York City burned orange and red. The skeletons of skyscrapers pierced the sky around Avengers Tower like splinters of metal. As far as she could see the world warped and bent in the heat. It was a dead land, and it continued on across the globe. In the streets people ran frantically to avoid shadowy creatures that lurched and pounced. Their screams were what echoed up to Samantha as the demons ripped the scattered populace apart.

The crone laughed- it was too light, too airy, "The fate of this Realm is almost sealed. Now is the time to tip the balance of power once and for all. Unite the weapons, unleash Hell."

Samantha turned around and saw the box behind her, waiting, "I lost it," she whispered, "the box disappeared…"

"A truth and a lie," the crone was laughing in her ear. Samantha backed away as the lid slid. Inside, resting on a blue velvet cushion, were the twin blades of the young warrior Skuld, "Unite the weapons, unleash Hell." She repeated it over and over again as the screams grew louder.

Samantha was trapped in her vision, and the crone's words seemed to burrow into her brain. She tried opening her eyes as wide as they would go, biting her tongue, screaming _herself_ \- nothing worked. She was going to go insane locked inside the dream. Samantha squeezed her fist tighter, tried to bring back the sensation of Steve's arm, but she was completely and utterly alone in this fight.

* * *

"Norn?" Thor frowned, "I do not believe-"

"Samantha?" Steve's full attention moved to her. She'd grabbed his arm with bone-crushing force- something that should have been physically impossible.

Bucky thought he saw something through her hair. She was staring down at her own lap, so he lowered his face almost to the table to see her eyes better. Steve swiped her hair aside with his free hand.

"What the fuck?" Bucky was the first person in the room to his feet. Samantha's eyes were glassy and white- the eyes of a dead, blind old woman.

Steve tried to break her grasp on his arm so he could turn her to face him fully, but he couldn't move. She had him locked down tight, so he swept his heel back and smashed through the base of his chair. Samantha clung to him as he fell to a knee and yanked her back. Thor ran around from his end as Bucky threw himself across the table.

"Steve!" Bucky grabbed Samantha's sleeve and ripped it away- the brace Steve had wrapped around her arm was moving and rippling. Bucky tore through the wrappings and cursed yet again. The hand-shaped welt _he'd_ left was moving and twisting into the Valknut.

"Stand back!" Clint had a tazer-arrow in hand and was more than willing to hit Samantha if it would help- Steve wouldn't be hurt _too_ much. Thor stared at the symbol for a moment. Samantha began to whisper something in a language no one appeared to understand. She repeated her message and Thor growled. Clint wasn't wasting any more time, "Seriously guys, step back-"

"-No!" jarred by Clint's words, Thor grabbed Bucky with one hand and put the other on Samantha's hand where she held Steve's arm, "HEIMDALL!"

There was a blinding flash of light accompanied by an impressive explosion of air. Natasha, Sam, and Clint were thrown from their chairs by the blast, and Tony and Banner ducked to avoid being turned into Avengers-sized pancakes by the metal table as it flipped and crashed into the wall. When the dust settled, only a black maze was left behind on the wooden floor, still smoldering, "DAMMIT, THOR! HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU- _OUTSIDE_ \- NOT INSIDE! OUTSIDE DOESN'T _BREAK_ PEOPLE!"

"What can we do while they're gone?" Sam pulled Banner to his feet and went on to help Tony up.

"MOVE THOR'S THINGS TO THE BALCONY!"

"You and Clint can start looking into these 'Norn' Bucky was asking about. I want to take another look at _exactly_ what happened in Bloomington yesterday- the hospital may know something about Samantha we don't." Natasha was ready to step up and lead the team.

"Banner and I will focus on finding that box," Tony was willing to bet things were going to be getting _very_ interesting _very_ quickly, "JARVIS, notify General Ross we've got a case blowing up… Hopefully this time nothing _else_ blows up with it."


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Bucky didn't even have time to process what was happening. There was a deafening explosion, the ground beneath this feet vanished, and suddenly Thor was dragging the three of them through space. Stars and galaxies whirled by at an incredible speed- he saw towering plumes of gas millions of miles tall, stars exploding, stars being born, swirling nebulae and icy comments- even a few suspiciously dark areas of space he was willing to bet hid black holes. All too soon there was another flash of light, gravity reappeared, and Thor was pulling them across the floor of a massive domed building.

"Heimdall, alert the healers!" Thor released Bucky and Samantha. Her grip on Steve's arm was still painfully tight and he tried gently to pull her away. She continued to speak her gibberish as Thor ran from the Bifrost to find transportation.

"Do you know what she's saying?" Steve called out after Thor. He cupped Samantha's cheek and stared into her white eyes, willing her back.

A golden-armored man squeezed his shoulder. When he looked up, Heimdall smiled, "Do not worry, Steven Rogers. The best healers in the nine Realms reside here, she could be in no better hands."

"Do you know what she's saying?" Bucky repeated Steve's question.

"No, but if anyone can you will find them in the Great Library."

Thor came running in and knelt next to Samantha, "I have secured transport. James, help me." Bucky went to Steve's side. While he held his friend's arm, Thor gently pried Samantha's hand away.

"STOP!" Steve felt several pops from her fingers- they were completely rigid. Thor immediately released her, "I think you just broke her hand."

"Then the damage is already done," Bucky wrenched Steve's arm to the side. There was another, louder pop and he was free.

Samantha's hand began to swell immediately, but she didn't seem to notice that her thumb, pinky, and index fingers were hanging limp (and crooked). Her hand remained locked half-open, as though Steve's arm were still trapped inside. Steve scooped her up, shot Bucky a half-hearted glare, and the four ran from the Bifrost landing.

Not far from the entrance was what looked like a boat- except that it was flying above the water, level with the black-onyx stone of the Bifrost. Thor, Steve, and Bucky jumped in with Samantha, "Hold tight, I have had few occasions to sail one of these!" They hunkered down as Thor grabbed the rudder and the ship shot forward like a missile.

Yes, there was an ongoing emergency situation; yes, adrenaline made Bucky's heart race and his body ache for a fight; and yes, he was frightened for Samantha- almost as worried about her well-being as Steve was- but even so, Asgard was distractingly beautiful. Clear, still waters were interrupted by green-and-golden hills dotted with estates that would dwarf entire palaces on Earth.

The city was all gilded spires, gleaming statues, and wave after wave of skyscraper-sized buildings, all leading towards the impossible royal palace. It stood at least twice as tall as everything else in the city and at least three times as tall as Avengers Tower! Distant, snow-capped mountains stood taller still and Bucky felt suddenly very, very small amid the might and splendor of the Eternal City. Was it any wonder the Norse mistook them for Gods?

Thor half-smiled at the look of sheer wonder on Bucky's face. Asgard's majesty was something he'd only recently gained an appreciation for, yet it was still his home and he was too used to it. Seeing it first through Jane Foster's eyes- and now Bucky's- reminded him it was unparalleled in all the nine Realms.

The ship skid to a stop at the steps of the palace- nearly launching the lot of them in the process. Steve had no idea how Heimdall managed it, but healers were already outside waiting. He jumped from the ship and handed Samantha over, "It just began," Thor explained, "we do not know what triggered it. She is of Midgard, yet displays strength she should not possess. The Lady touched an object believed to be a weapons cache of King Bor, I believe it was trapped in some way."

"I broke her hand, too," Bucky offered. They were healers- maybe they could sort that out before Samantha had to know it even happened.

As the healers turned to the palace with Samantha a handful of guards appeared. They blocked the gates and stopped the group in their tracks. An old warrior strode in their wake. He had golden armor polished to an impractical shine, long white hair, a jeweled eyepatch that would make Nick Fury drool, and a long cape of deep green velvet, "What is the meaning of this?!" his voice was loud and commanding- Steve instantly recognized the air of a general- a man used to speaking over an entire army.

"Father, the Midgardian has been harmed by a device of your father's making. I fear it was spelled in some way."

Odin immediately stepped aside and waved an arm. His soldiers followed suit, admitting the healers to the palace. When Steve and Bucky made to follow, he blocked their path once again, "Seeing as she was brought to this state at least in part by my father's doing, I will allow them to heal her. I would, however, know the truth in this matter. Who is she?"

"A historian," Thor visibly relaxed in his father's presence. True, he was quite different after the deaths of Queen Frigga and Loki, but the largest hurdle was passed- Samantha was inside.

"And your grandfather brought her harm how?"

"Father, if I may, I will answer your questions in private." Thor studied the faces of Odin's guard. Tyr warned him to not trust the royal palace- the walls tended to have ears.

"Very well, follow me." He turned back to the palace, but Thor reached out and touched his shoulder.

Bucky half expected Odin to blast Thor all the way back down the Bifrost. His entire body stiffened for a fight, then slowly relaxed. It lasted only a few seconds, but his body language said murder. Bucky glanced to Steve- judging by his face, he saw it too.

"Pardon me, father." Thor quickly let go of Odin, "I do not wish to speak here."

"Oh? Where did you have in mind?" Odin's voice was too light. Bucky felt a tingle on the back of his neck- something was off about the King.

"The Great Library. We must consult with Lord Tyr and the Valkyrie's Chief Scribe- Lady Wynd."

Odin suppressed a sneer, "What does an old soldier and a disgraced Valkyrie have to do with your Midgardian?"

Thor hesitated, "I know of the would-be assassin father."

"The assassin…" Odin's voice was noncommittal as either a question or a heavy sigh. Bucky wasn't sure he even knew what Thor was talking about.

"I believe what is happening to Lady Samantha is connected in some way to the man who tried to kill Loki and I as children. I know mother sought the old Valkyrie Scribe out for answers, I believe what James Barnes has uncovered will prompt Archivist Wynd to action."

Bucky nodded to Steve, "I'll stay here with Samantha if you want to-"

"I will need you with me to report on your findings." Thor interrupted, "For whatever reason, your people seem to know more of these beings than we do, you must be ready to answer questions."

Odin crossed his arms as soon as Thor faced him again, "I'll not be leaving the city while a possessed child is within my walls. Have you forgotten what came in the wake of the last Midgardian you brought here?"

"The Black Archives may be the only place safe enough to discuss this openly. No enchantment survives the wards placed there-"

"Absolutely not!" Steve thought he saw a spark of fear on Odin's face. The King took a moment to stare down Thor- or a moment to collect his thoughts, "The Black Archives are a place into which even Heimdall does not see. I will not leave my city, especially not to make an unnecessary pilgrimage to the other side of our Realm! Not to a place that even Heimdall cannot reach me in!"

"If there was cause for concern then a messenger could be sent-"

"The invasion and destruction of our palace- the death of your mother- occurred in half the time it would take a messenger to get to us at the Great Library. It is out of the question."

"Then we do this here," Bucky growled, "I don't care, so long as we get answers and Samantha gets help. I'll make sure no one snoops around."

"You are very concerned with your friend's lover." Odin's implications were in no way subtle, "It is quite interesting, is it not?"

"The only thing that's interesting is what I'll do to anyone who even tries to fuck with her." Bucky pushed past Thor and headed up the stairs into the palace, "Now, are we going to help her, or are you going to waste our time?" he stopped halfway between Odin and his guards.

Thor thought the Allfather would be incensed to say the least- even he could not recall the last time someone dared speak to Odin with such impunity. The King veiled his reaction fairly quickly, but Thor would have sworn he saw a smile, "Lead us where you believe is best. I suppose I must put my trust in Hydra's Winter Soldier."

Bucky was only a little confused as he led the group into the palace. Thor always described his father as an older man with graying hair, a large beard, and an eyepiece to cover one taken in battle. The man Bucky saw didn't fit that description at all. Odin was young, sickly thin, almost feral in his expressions and movements- and his hair was jet black, not gray. No beard hung from his sallow cheeks and his coal black eyes- both of them- were constantly scrutinizing those around him.

Unfortunately for the Avengers, Hydra never briefed the Winter Soldier on the Battle of New York, and Thor carried no images of his murderous brother- if either had, Bucky would have known that the man who led them into the palace was not King Odin, but his usurper- Prince Loki.


	12. Chapter 11

** Chapter 11 **

"Allfather, may I ask why I have been summoned to- to a sewer?" Wynd put a fist over her heart in a show of respect. The Valkyrie were citizens of no Realm and therefore bowed to no King or Queen. She was in luck- Tyr had arrived only moments before and with five already in the small space, kneeling would have been impossible.

"You're here for this." Bucky was confident in his choice of venue. He'd led them through the palace (then asked Thor for directions), down narrower and narrower halls, from the gold-lined corridors to those of simple stone, and past the servant's barracks before he found stairs leading deep beneath the dungeons to the quarters of the meanest of the palace's workforce- the privy keepers. The room that now held some of the most powerful people in two Realms was their closet- and to Bucky's eyes it was all too empty,

He'd noticed a smooth stone among the masonry and only now did he try to press it. The button took all of his strength as a super-soldier to activate, but after the stone moved inward a few inches there was a soft _click_ and a section of the wall swung inward. The hallways it revealed was coated in thick layers of dust, undisturbed for what appeared to be millennia (So, probably since Thor was a toddler). Bucky smiled, pleased, "Shit-shovelers _always_ have assassin holds."

Steve scouted ahead as the incredulous party ascended. The super-soldier serum made him and Bucky equals to the Asgardians in terms of strength and stamina, but even so he was grateful to reach the landing of what _had_ to be the tenth floor of a place where every ceiling was fifty feet high. Steve saw a lever against the wall and pulled it.

They were in a linen closet now, and if the delicate golden sheets (and the sour look on Odin's face) was any indication, the contents belonged to his chambers, "Here, now we know this room is secure." Bucky slid the wall back into place.

"Is it right to say you yourself were once an assassin?" Wynd smiled pleasantly. She seemed to Bucky like someone humoring a child. The Valkyrie scribe was older than Thor, but not by much. If she were human then Bucky would guess 40 to Thor's 30. Her glossy black hair was loose and hung all the way to her hips- impractical for a fighter. She wore no metal armor, but hard gray leather was secured over a flowing green gown. A sword and dagger were sheathed on opposite hips, but they were too pristine- not even a scratch marred the polished silver. She moved as if she knew how to use them, but the weapons said she never had.

Bucky judged her immediately: A non-combative, disgraced member of a warrior race. No matter how sincere her smile, she could not be trusted entirely. People in Wynd's position almost always had a hidden agenda. At least, that was his _first_ impulse. This Valkyrie was supposed to be a warrior. They lived for _thousands_ of years, trained as heroes from _birth_ \- really she was everything he wanted for himself now. Someone with honor, someone who made a simple mistake _once_ , lost everything in the span of a single night, and her future was destroyed. Bucky didn't mistrust her- he pitied her.

When Bucky didn't answer her question, Wynd turned instead to his companions, "Prince Thor, my place is in the Great Library. Why has my presence been requested?"

"Because recent events on Midgard may require the attention of the Valkyrie." Thor carefully repeated what Samantha had been chanting. Tyr and Odin both listened intently with a frown of concentration, but Wynd's mouth fell open. Her hand went to the hilt of her sword as if to protect herself.

"Gather strength to release… goblins?" Tyr frowned.

" _Unite the weapons to unleash Hell_." Her voice was barely even a whisper.

"You know it?" Steve stepped forward.

Tyr had begun to nod at Wynd's translation, "It is a phrase that has appeared here and there since the Second Jotun War, but as far as I have found there is no real meaning to it. The interesting part is the language you used- it is a form of High Asgardian not seen since the _First_ Jotun War. The original language of the Valkyrie."

"A Midgardian woman in our healing hall was repeating that as if in a trance. What is the significance?" Even Odin looked now to Wynd for answers.

The Valkyrie was genuinely rattled, "It is not possible…"

"Tell us."

Wynd shook her head and took several deep, calming breaths, "I want to answer you, I truly do, but a single Midgardian isn't worth the risk."

"What risk?" Thor frowned.

"What happens to a Valkyrie who fails in her duty? She becomes a scribe. If her failure is great enough she becomes _Chief_ scribe… What do you think happens if she fails yet again?" she shrugged, "Valkyrie of rank may have a family of their own, but none leave or are expelled from the order. There is _no lower task_ than the one I have been set. If I fail in my duties now my life is forfeit."

"But the Valkyrie Archives might have answers-"

"The Valkyrie Archives are _only_ opened in time of war!" Wynd snapped at Steve. She immediately held up a hand, "I apologize for my tone, but a _phrase_ is not enough for me to risk a death like _that_."

"The woman I _love_ touched a box on accident- that's it- and now she's in trouble. I'm not leaving without answers."

"She saw the Norn," Bucky crossed his arms as the color drained from Wynd's face, "she was marked with the Valknut, _and_ she saw the deaths of Urda, Verdandi, and Skuld. Is it worth the risk yet?" Bucky had been in the middle of confirming all the details with Samantha when the shit hit the fan. Judging by the Valkyrie's expression his research was dead-on.

Wynd opened and closed her mouth several times, searching for the words. She stared down at the crest of the Valkyrie on the hilt of her sword, then closed her eyes, "Unless the Valkyrie openly declare war on them, it means _nothing_ to me. I cannot tell you that the Norn were perhaps the greatest Generals of the Valkyrie War- until they were cut down by the Jotun. I will say nothing of how they emerged from their silver tomb as though from a slumber and _slaughtered_ their own forces. I cannot tell you how many _thousands_ of bodies lay dead in their wake before they were finally felled… I cannot say that, according to lore, their united blades had the power to raise and control an army that dwarfed even the combined might of the nine Realms. I _cannot_ tell you that it was one of our greatest heroes who finally took the blade of Urda and ran her through with it- _killing_ the monster once and for all. I _cannot_ , and _will not_ , tell you Prince Thor that it was rumored your kin kept the blade, or that the other two were rumored to have been hidden on Midgard after the fall of Verdandi and Skuld…"

"Above all-" Wynd swallowed several times, working up the courage to speak again, "above all, Prince Thor, I must _never_ break my oath to the Valkyrie by telling you that Mjolnir's touch _should_ free the child from her visions." She was tense even as she spoke.

"Why would Mjolnir revive the Lady Samantha?"

Wynd turned and slowly walked to the door of the linen closet, "Because, Prince, according to the tale I cannot repeat, King Bor sought to end the threat of the fallen Norn's army once and for all by _destroying_ the broadsword of the eldest, Urda. The weapon proved too powerful for such a feat and it is said he worked with the Valkyrie to simply change its form, to hide the sword Laevateinn from the Realms in the form of a _hammer_."

All eyes turned to Thor. He'd left Mjolnir behind on Earth, but now he summoned it. It would take too long to reach him, but he felt both relief and a chill knowing it was on its way. "Mjolnir is one of the weapons destined to unleash the might of Hell?"

"I cannot answer that," Wynd hung her head and toyed with the handle a moment, "In a fortnight the Valkyrie gather to choose their new High Commander. I will be called upon to brief her on the state of the Archives. I swear to you that I will tell her of Lady Samantha's vision, and it's possible implications."

"Hold!" Odin's voice stopped Wynd once again. She turned to meet his gaze, "The High Commander is not chosen by the Valkyrie alone. The Counsel of Yggdrasil has a say."

"Of the Generals, Sigrun is more likely to be sympathetic than the others. She _may_ be moved to order an investigation into the Norn. She is popular enough among the Valkyrie that the Counsel's backing would guarantee her victory."

"These weapons- this army they awaken- could it be used to destroy Realms?"

Wynd hesitated, then nodded, "Even if half the myth is true."

"Then I will not leave these matters to someone who is only 'more likely'. The Counsel will back _you_ , Archivist Wynd. I will see to it."

She looked genuinely shocked, but something made Bucky's nerves stand once again on edge. The way Odin's eyes sparkled when he asked about the weapons- it all felt too… _something_. The Winter Soldier's instincts told him not to trust anyone's motives. Steve and Thor were listening with rapt attention, but only Bucky and Tyr frowned at the proposition.

"Allfather, I am only Chief Scribe. Never in Valkyrie _history_ has a scribe ascended to the rank of High Commander!"

"Then you shall be the first. You were once a promising young talent, Queen Frigga herself groomed you to one day be High Commander. Not all Valkyrie will remember, but you have two weeks to remind them. Once you hold the Valkyrie throne, _you_ will order the investigation. _You_ will open the Valkyrie Archives to Lord Tyr, and we will get our answers."

"I-"

"My decision is made," Odin crossed his arms, "rekindle your ambition now, High Commander Wynd."

She squared her shoulders and stood a little taller, "Yes, Allfather."

"Good. Now, go."

"Wait-" Tyr stepped forward at last, "Queen Frigga went to the Valkyrie scribe after the assassin- the one _bearing the mark of the Norn_ \- nearly killed Princes Thor and Loki. The scribe refused her any information. If the last High Commander could not order an investigation, how can you?"

Wynd's poker face needed serious work, "Queen Frigga did not order and investigation, she simply met with the scribe, then left."

"No she didn't." Bucky flexed his metal hand, "She opened the Archives, didn't she?"

"She- she _may_ have hidden something inside, but I really, _really_ cannot tell you any more." She locked eyes with each man in turn, "Not _yet_. If I am chosen as High Commander, however, I will find answers for you all. You have my solemn word." She left before anyone could try to pry more information from her.

As soon as the door closed behind her, Steve let out the breath he was holding and turned back to Bucky, "Did you see it?"

"Yeah."

"What is ' _it'_?"

Bucky half-turned to Thor, "I'm willing to bet money that what your mother hid in the Black Archives was evidence."

"What kind of evidence?" Tyr was intrigued.

Steve and Bucky shared another look. They were on the same page with this one- Wynd's fear was more than just that of someone who _might_ get in trouble for talking. It was real, it was _present_ , it was a monster-under-the-bed kind of fear, "The kind of evidence that says not all of the Norn are dead."

"Samantha heard _one_ name in her vision, and she said she was drawn to _one_ person."

"The youngest." Thor nodded to Bucky.

"I don't know if she legitimately stumbled across it or if she was _led_ there, but I'm willing to bet if we find Samantha's missing box-"

Steve finished Bucky's thought, "-we find Skuld."

* * *

**Note** : Mythologically-minded people and fans of Marvel comics will recognize Laevateinn as _Loki_ 's sword.

This will be dealt with, I promise. I built an entire plot element around it. The morphology of Laevateinn to Mjolnir is totally intentional.


	13. Chapter 12

** Chapter 12 **

Just as Wynd ' _could not_ ' suggest, a small bolt from Thor's hammer was all it took to break the hold over Samantha. The girl's eyes returned to a light brown and slowly closed. Asgardian healers swarmed her still, but when Steve lifted her forearm he saw the black and red welt left behind by Bucky's hand- not the brand of the Norn.

"Are you certain that one yet lives?" Thor pulled Steve and Bucky back to give the healers room to work.

"You saw what happened to Samantha- the super-strength, the ancient Asgardian- it was like she was possessed. I'm betting the assassin when you were a kid wasn't much different."

"Why would my mother hide such an attack?"

Bucky and Steve both shrugged, "We'll know once we see what it was she hid in that vault. Try asking Odin again, it seems like he'd know."

"My father will answer nothing. He has been strange ever since my mother and Loki were killed. He forgets things he should not and dismisses me more readily." It was a long-standing frustration of Thor's. It was like his father was a different man entirely.

"What do I do going forward?" Steve voiced the concern most pressing to him now, "Is she safer with us, high-profile as we are? Should I go back to Bloomington with her and guard here there- even though we're weaker divided? Should we both just go underground and you call when we figure out more? What's the safest move?"

No one had an answer, "We shall learn more soon." Thor had opened the closet door to find Mjolnir waiting. He toyed with the hammer now, tried to imagine it as the doomed weapon of some great evil beast. Odin's enchantment had made the weapon a beacon of light and truth- _'if he be worthy'_. Could it really have once been an instrument of malice? Did it truly possess, even in part, the power to destroy _Realms_? If the Norn came calling, would Mjolnir turn against one master so that the sword Laevateinn could fight in the hand of another?

"I will return to Midgard and brief the others on all that has transpired." He couldn't just sit idly by. Odin guaranteed his protection to Samantha, she would be safe in Asgard's halls. His presence would better serve others.

"If they haven't already, please ask them to look into who might have taken the box. Anyone from the dig who can't be tracked down."

"I shall not be gone long." Thor shook hands with both men and departed.

The healing room was large, built to triage an entire army by the looks of it. A handful of warrior-looking types were laying on the beds closest to the doors in full regalia (Steve suspected they were Thor's friends), and the healers drifted from Samantha's side to whisper together in a small alcove. Both groups were far from Steve, Bucky, and the sleeping girl.

As soon as the door closed behind Thor, Bucky began to tap his fingers against his leg. Something had been eating at him for a long time, and now he had his chance. It was as good a time as any, right? "Hey Steve? Can we talk about what happened last night? Samantha's arm?"

"What?" Steve wasn't paying much attention, "Um, yeah, sorry. I've got a lot on my mind."

"I know, and I'm sorry I added to it _again_ … It isn't an excuse, but I put another name on the list, I had too much to drink, and-"

"I'm not mad, Buck." Steve gave his friend's shoulder a squeeze, "I'm not. Samantha told me about how you helped her out. Just try to be a bit more careful, alright? You're stronger than you realize."

Bucky frowned. _Most_ of him wanted to leave it there. Samantha obviously lied- probably to be kind, she seemed the type. But if Bucky started down that road he wasn't sure he'd like where it led him, "I don't think- something tells me you didn't get the whole picture."

"I figured." He flashed Bucky a knowing smile.

"What was her version?"

"She slipped on some pieces of a cup you dropped and you caught her- a little hard, but you still saved her from a face full of glass."

Bucky hung his head, "I appreciate what she was trying to do, but… I wasn't that valiant."

"Yeah, when Tony backed her story I knew it probably wasn't right." His friend gave him a questioning look, "He was reasonable and straightforward."

"Doesn't he realize yet that makes him even _more_ suspicious?" Bucky forced a chuckle, then sobered up.

Steve side-eyed him for a moment, "Who'd you remember?"

"A kid. Barely even a teen."

" _Jesus_."

"It wasn't another assassination, this one was a mercy killing. I was supposed to throw her around a little bit- but that was just the start. They were going to _destroy_ her… so I cut her throat. It was quicker, it _kinder_ than what they had planned..."

They were silent for a long time before Steve responded, "I know I keep saying the same thing but- I'm sorry, Buck. I'm sorry I let you fall from that train, I'm sorry I didn't get out of that plane and come find you, I'm sorry it took so long for you to get away from them… I'm just _sorry_."

Bucky shrugged, but Steve saw a tremor in his chin. He took a deep breath and slowly let it out, "I had too much to drink. Samantha came in and I made her sit there and read through the book. I grabbed her arm and wrenched it, then- I _knew_ she wanted to bolt, but I wouldn't let her. I got pissed, threw my glass- if Natasha didn't get there so quickly…"

Steve tried to hide his own fear as he looked at Bucky. He'd seen (and felt) what happened when Bucky went Asset (as they called "Winter Soldier Mode" now). Samantha would have woken up in _another_ hospital, "How do we handle this?"

Bucky had already talked it through with Natasha (then ignored her advice and settled on his own plan), "Have Thor tighten the rations on the booze- one shot only, and _only_ on the worst nights. I'm going to ask Banner about finding a good sedative for me to use to sleep. Also- JARVIS is going to make sure Samantha and I are never alone in a room together."

Steve wiped his forehead longer than necessary as he tried to hide his frustration, "Doctor Cho keeps saying it and you keep ignoring her- _don't punish yourself_. The more afraid you are of your own shadow-"

"-the worse my episodes will be and the slower my recovery. I know." Bucky shrugged, "But if that means my friends are safer? There isn't even a question. I'll take the extra weight. At least it's light compared to the guilt that's stacking up."

He wasn't going to listen, so Steve had no choice but to give in, "At least tell me if it gets too bad? Even if this all blows up into a full-scale invasion by some demonic army- you're as much a priority as she is. More sessions with Cho, a vacation to one of Tony's private islands, hell- Banner's offered to super-soldier up any meds you might need."

"Thanks," Bucky sighed, "I'm trying, I promise."

"I know you are. Samantha gave you an out and you told me the truth anyways. Considering what you've been through and where you were five months ago- I hope you can see for yourself just how far you've come."

"Don't say that just yet," Bucky glanced to Samantha, "not with things going sideways. If this turns into a full-scale war?"

Steve nodded, "You're right. It's going to get ugly- on all fronts. But we'll figure this out. We're going to beat them. We always do." Bucky agreed and they went back to watching over Samantha, unaware that the group was being observed.

* * *

_Are you really going to beat me?_ The Norn reigned in her Sight and looked out across the city to Avengers Tower peaking out from between two skyscrapers. There was still a hole in the clouds above it from where Thor had descended only moments ago.

"Find out where she hid the box," The Last Norn flicked her wrist and a raven appeared outside the window. She could _feel_ Urda's blade in the distant Tower. Laevateinn called to her- it had been used, and recently. _Soon enough Asgard, the Valkyrie, and the Avengers will begin their hunt in earnest…_

_So then, I guess it's a race._


	14. Chapter 13

** Chapter 13 **

"Tony? Natasha? Sam- where have you all gone?" Thor called as he jogged through the Tower.

"The Avengers are in the auxiliary meeting hall." JARVIS chimed, "You destroyed the other when you returned to Asgard." He sensed a bit of hostility from the computer.

"My apologies, JARVIS," Thor headed for the room as fast as he could.

"How is Miss Samantha?"

"She will recover," he pushed open the meeting room doors.

Tony and Banner were arguing in the corner. Natasha was waiting with Clint and Sam, "Thor!" She jumped up. All attention turned to the Asgardian, "We found something. Bad."

"What?"

"I made some calls- we know who took the box. It was _Samantha_. Her classmates said she got angry when she was arguing with the professor, hit the dirt she _swore_ was a box, and just _changed_."

Clint took over from Sam, "One of them said she looked down, went quiet, then acted like she was picking something up. They _couldn't_ follow her until she was out of sight, and then no one could _find_ her."

"I called the hospital in Bloomington," Banner reported, "they sent an ambulance to the dig, but she wasn't there when they arrived. She walked in _on her own_ about half an hour before she called Steve and fainted in the lobby. That's why they let her go so easily- if she was really out for _hours_ like she thought, they would have held her."

Thor already suspected as much, but confirmation helped, "The creature who possessed her hid the box… We must be the first to find it."

"I've got the drone Suits combing every square inch of _everywhere_ , but I don't know why people can't see the box. The Suits could be standing on it and not know."

"I took soil samples from her old clothes-"

"-ew."

Banner shot Tony a look, "-and I'm running chemical analysis now. Basically, I'll be able to narrow down the search area."

"What did you find out?" Natasha crossed her arms.

Thor had made little progress. Their discovery on Asgard only raised more ' _if_ ' and ' _but_ ' questions than they could answer, "There is nothing concrete, but more than enough for concern… The box _may_ contain a weapon of some sort belonging to an ancient sect of Valkyrie. There were three of them, and combined it is said their weapons acted as a key."

"A key to what?" Clint glanced at the others, "Nothing good, I'm betting."

"The key to releasing some sort of supernatural army. The Valkyrie's Chief Scribe told us more than she safely could, for now. She believed it to be an army capable of razing this Realm… _all_ Realms."

"There's more. Tell us." Natasha could see it plain as day on Thor's face.

Sam flipped a book open on the table, "Your hammer's one of those weapons, isn't it?"

"How did you know?"

"Your little design there-" Sam pointed to Thor's sigil, then pushed the book towards him, "-it's the cursive form of the Valknut."

"So we have one weapon, one we _have_ to assume is on its way to enemy hands, and one has yet to be found." Tony clapped his hands, "Fantastic."

"If it makes you feel any better, I fear Mjolnir may in part be responsible for Lady Samantha's discovery. It was suggested that something may have been transferred to her as a result of Steve's shield and my hammer being used in conjunction. I believed it was why she could see the box- now I wonder if Laevateinn used her in some way."

Tony considered the significance of Thor's words, "Find a way to make it repeat that trick, because if someone has the other weapon already, then I want the third on our team. I'm always a fan of _more_ over _less_."

"Is this Valkyrie going to get us more concrete intel soon?"

"No Sam, I am afraid not. The Vault of the Valkyrie cannot be opened unless the High Commander commands it- not even by the Scribe."

"Why is this an issue?"

"There _is_ no High Commander. The Valkyrie risk gathering together but once a year, and my mother was killed just after their last meeting. In a fortnight they come together again to elect a High Commander, there is no way to make that change in our favor." Sam sighed, everyone seemed dejected, "There is one more thing- Bucky and Steve suspect one Norn yet lives."

"Better hope it's not Skuld." Sam pointed to his book, "according to this, Skuld was the one who could see the future. I don't want to fight someone who already knows if my blood will wash out of their clothes."

"If it is any consolation, your ancestors couched my kind in more mythology than fact…"

"Oh good, there's a _chance_ we can beat the little oracle. If Skuld _is_ the one messing with Samantha's mind, she'd see where the last weapon turns up long before this two-week waiting period ends. By the time the Valkyrie get themselves organized we could already be steamrolled."

"What do you propose, Sam?"

Falcon turned to study each Avenger before facing Thor, "We've got the main honcho from the Great Library on our side. You tell me- how tough is this Valkyrie Archive to break into?"

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" Thor slammed his fist on the table, "Sam Wilson, there is one unfettered army in the Realms _right now_ who could scorch Midgard and end all life on your world- _that_ is the might of the Valkyrie horde! To break into their Archives- they would decimate Asgard and cast Midgard into oblivion if they heard your words now!"

"A simple 'not possible' would have been fine," he grumbled.

"So, we have to get ready to fight a Norn- who we know nothing about- to find a box, which we may or may not be able to see, and hope that we don't somehow trip over the third weapon- which we know nothing about too- because if _that_ happens we risk unleashing an army- which we don't know if we'd be able to control- without the help of the _one group_ out there who even knows these Norn bitches exist." Clint clapped his hands, "That sounds nice. Wait- did I say 'nice'? I meant ABSOLUTELY FUCKING INSANE."

Thor nodded, "You are beginning to understand how I feel. It is more important than ever that Samantha is under guard. Mjolnir broke her vision, but I do not know if that means her part in this madness is done. She could be the key to reclaiming the second weapon or finding the third."

Tony actually looked _scared_ for half a second, "On a scale of one to the Chit'auri-"

"If this is as the Valkyrie fear? Tony Stark, the Chit'auri _will be_ 'one'."

* * *

By the time Thor returned to Asgard, Samantha was awake. She had only vague memories of what she saw this time, but she remembered a little of what happened around her during the possession. Bucky apologized about fifty _thousand_ times for the damage to not only her left forearm, but also her right hand. The Asgardians had the limb encased in a yellow glass bubble where tiny pinpricks of orange light sparked and jumped beneath the skin. A blue skeletal hand was projected over the inside of the glass and they all watched the little lights repair her broken bones bit-by-bit.

Once Thor entered the hall with King Odin, all attention shifted to him. Samantha pushed herself up on the bed, helped by both Bucky and Steve, "Hi Thor."

He smiled, but the expression didn't extend to his eyes, "Samantha- how do you feel?"

"I can't complain," she held up her encased hand slightly, "This is pretty cool."

"Samantha, may I ask you something?" King Odin showed great care to the girl. Thor briefed him on the Avengers discovery in Midgard and agreed to let his father question her now.

"Um, yes, King Odin… Your majesty… Sir."

"Do you remember much of what transpired _outside_ of your vision today?"

She'd been over this already with Bucky and Steve- starting as soon as her eyes opened, "Very, very little. I remember grabbing Steve's arm, being dizzy (Bucky guessed that this was in response to her Bifrost trip), feeling like I was floating? That's probably when I was brought in here. After a long time I felt a _zap_ and everything went dark. Oh, and I _think_ I felt some popping in my hand, but there was no pain."

" _Very_ good!" Odin was pleased she knew so much, "Now, your _first_ vision- what do you remember of _that_?"

"Only the vision."

Odin pressed a bit more, "You _must_ remember something- some sensation, _feeling_ , sense of purpose-"

"I'm sorry, but… no," Samantha looked to Steve, "I touched the box, saw the- the _women_ , then I woke up in the hospital." She couldn't bring herself to say ' _Norn'_ , not after what happened before. The word froze on the tip of her tongue like it was being held back by an invisible (and purely psychological) force.

"Lady Samantha, we _know_ you hid the box. It contains a weapon that is _very_ powerful and _very_ dangerous. You need to tell me what you know." She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Samantha just shrugged, which only seemed to make Odin angry.

Thor put a hand on his father's shoulder to hold him back, "Samantha, please- anything you may know will aid us greatly. Do you remember being warm or cold? What was the ground of the battlefield like?"

"I don't-" Samantha hesitated, "Well, I mean…" something nagged at the back of her mind, making her arms feel heavy, moist, and thick. She frowned and the sensation changed to a gritty, rough heat. She looked down at her arms and for a brief second saw _mud_. It faded and she looked back up to the four men before her, "I- I think I was covered in _dirt_?" Samantha took Steve's hand, "I think I buried it?"

"Where?" Odin pressed once again.

"I have no idea." She was useless. Samantha wasn't even sure if she'd _remembered_ or only _thought_ she did.

Odin could tell he'd get nowhere with the Midgardian, not now, "We have a way to help you remember." He straightened up.

Bucky and Steve shared a _look_. Thor told both of them, in no uncertain terms, that there was no way to help Bucky recover any of his lost memories. Was Thor holding out on them? The Princes face went red- he'd definitely been caught in a lie, "Father! You cannot-"

"-An Inquisitor could help you, child." King Odin didn't even look at his son.

"You cannot authorize one of them to-"

"I AM KING, BOY." Odin's voice echoed around the room and made even the far-away physicians jump, "I can do what I wish. If it helps us find the weapon, it is worth the risk."

"IT ISN'T A RISK! IT'S MURDER!"

"What's an Inquisitor?" Steve planted himself between Odin and Samantha, immediately on the defensive.

"It's someone who can help."

"IT'S A TORTURER!" Thor snapped, " _ASGARDIANS_ RARELY SURVIVE THEIR MENTAL PROBES! A MIDGARDIAN WOULD HAVE NO HOPE!"

"Probably," Odin admitted, "but if she will not tell us what we need to know, then she must be risked to save the lives of _everyone_ we will lose if this turns into a full-scale _war_. That army- Archivist Wynd said it would destroy all of Midgard! If one must die to save _billions_ , then so be it."

"You're not going anywhere-"

"-Hold it." Bucky straightened his shirt and stepped away from Steve's side, giving Odin a clear line of sight to Samantha, "Go ahead." He held out both hands, showing Odin his path.

"Bucky, what are you-"

"The man has a point and besides, I doubt it's personal. Go ahead, King Odin. If you want Samantha, all you have to do is take her." He smiled to Thor and slowly curled his metal hand into a fist, "Hey buddy?"

"Yes, James?"

"Are you ready to be King?" Bucky faced King Odin and lowered himself into a fighting stance, "Because as soon as you move a muscle, old man, I'm not stopping until your brains are on the floor."

Odin's face grew bright red, "How dare you threaten me?!"

"It's a _promise_ , not a threat."

"Father, please listen to me," Thor held Mjolnir ready for a fight, but he was _desperate_ to regain control of the situation before things turned ugly. "I share your concerns, I truly do, but I do not believe we need to resort to such drastic measures so quickly. Let us take the girl back to Midgard. There are ways _they_ have to encourage memory. You saw it yourself- with some prompting she _did_ remember burying the weapon. Look at them, father," he gestured to Bucky and Steve, "they ready for battle. Force this fight now and our enemies alone will benefit. There is cause for concern, yes, but we are not to the point yet where sacrifices should be made."

King Odin considered his position carefully, and he did not like what he saw. If this escalated into a full-scale battle, could he fight Thor, Captain America, and Bucky Barnes in the heart of Asgard _and_ maintain his cover? It was almost certainly impossible. He had to play his cards carefully.

"Get her out of my sight," his voice was low, dangerous. "Take the whelp back to Midgard and _make_ her remember where the box is, or I will fetch her for our inquisitors."

Steve scooped up Samantha without hesitation and shoved past King Odin. Bucky followed closely, ready to fight to clear the path ahead if need be. Thor felt guilty for betraying his only family, "Father-"

"LEAVE. NOW." Odin clenched his fists and did not move until he heard the healing chamber doors close behind the Avengers and their cargo, "ALL OF YOU! OUT!" The healers left first, followed by the warriors who had been 'sleeping' by the door at Thor's request. Lady Sif and the Warriors Three brought up the rear of the group. Odin had no idea how badly that fight would have gone for him.

Once he was alone he walked to the window and watched the Midgardians flee to the Bifrost on another ship. _I'm not giving up. They cost me one army, I_ will _have another._ He thought he would be happy to rule Asgard in the guise of the Allfather, but it was a new kind of hell. Everyone loved and respected a mirage- one he no longer desired to keep up. It was taxing on his abilities and made his temper only grow with each day.

This was quite possibly his only chance- but everyone still needed a push. He wasn't willing to wait _weeks_ for the Valkyrie to choose their new Commander and _then_ however long it would take Wynd to gain full control of her armies. By then the weapon could be claimed. Something drastic needed to happen- something to inspire a bit of haste in all parties involved- both Valkyrie and Avenger.

He knew his next move, and it was a master-stroke. The King of Asgard smiled then and let his illusion melt away for a moment. Loki eagerly watched the Bifrost light up as the group returned to Midgard. He was tired of keeping up his act. It was time for _Loki_ to have a little fun.

"I'll see you very soon, dear Samantha."


	15. Chapter 14

** Chapter 14 **

Odin sent an official apology to Samantha three days later in the form of a richly embroidered Asgardian gown. To one of his people it was pure decoration, something to be worn to a fine dinner, but Thor happily demonstrated that the density of Realm fibers and dexterity of Asgardian weavers meant that even the softest silks were bulletproof.

"Oh, good. So if the evil Norn or her undead army attacks with AK-47s, you're all set!" Bucky rolled his eyes, re-holstered his gun, and went back to scribbling down scraps of memory in his journal. This time it wasn't one of his assassination jobs, it was a lengthy debate between himself and Montgomery Falsworth, the UK member of the Howling Commandos, over which city was better- London or New York.

"I appreciate the gesture," Samantha accepted the undamaged cloth from Thor, "I'll go try it on." She wandered out of the lounge to find the locker room. Steve was half-asleep on a recliner by the door- Samantha kissed his forehead as she passed.

"Wait for me-"he shook his head and sat up in the chair. He wasn't letting her out of his sight, _especially_ not since they nearly had to fight their way out of Asgard. When the bubble around her hand fell off at breakfast he even made Tony send it to his warehouse in Malibu, just in case Odin had some way of using it against them.

"I got her," Natasha patted Steve's shoulder and shadowed the girl out of the room, "Bucky, convince this idiot to go to sleep."

Steve and Bucky stared one another down, "You're useless tired."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

" _Am n-_ "

"-I _will_ taze you!" Bucky growled and closed his book, "You're tired. Go to sleep. There are seven other Avengers in this Tower, we can watch Samantha."

Steve just stuck his tongue out at Bucky, "I'm not tired!" he hopped up and turned to walk out the door. At the threshold, he abruptly froze. His body went rigid and before Bucky could stand, Steve fell. Am arm was in the doorway holding something thin, long, and wooden. It looked almost like-

"Clint, what the hell did you do?!" Bucky and Thor ran to check on Steve. He was out cold.

Hawkeye stepped into the doorway and beamed. He inspected the head of the arrow closely as Bucky made sure his friend was still breathing, "Hey Banner, it works!"

"What works?" Banner's voice echoed down the hallway from his lab. Thor could hear his footfalls as he came to see what Clint wanted.

"That new tranquilizer you made! Steve was out inside five seconds!"

Banner cursed and Bucky heard glass break as he dropped something in the lab. He ran around Clint and went straight to Bucky and Thor, who were laying Steve across the couch, "CLINT! THOSE WERE _HULK_ TRANQUILIZERS! You could have killed him!"

"But I didn't!" Clint shot finger-guns at the group and stepped back, "One more thing-" he pulled out a collapsible crossbow and fired another arrow straight into Banner's chest.

"NAT! HIDE SAMANTHA! CLINT'S COMPROMISED!" Another arrow pierced Bucky's neck as he lunged for Clint. A tidal wave slammed into him and he fell. Thor took two bolts before he went down halfway to the door.

Clint closed the metal bulkhead leading to the hallway and jammed the empty arrow he'd used on Steve into the controls. He couldn't find one of the damned archer's sparking arrows, but the tranquilizers were proving useful. Doctor Banner had said they might kill even the mighty Captain America… Loki spared a thought to Tony, Sam, and Clint in the armory. Had he accidentally killed three Avengers already?

_I certainly hope so. It would be a nice bonus_.

* * *

"NAT! HIDE SAMANTHA! CLINT'S COMPROMISED!" Bucky's shout was all the warning Samantha got. Natasha shoved her into the locker room roughly and with the touch of a button slid the steel door between them. Unfortunately, the Avengers locker rooms were divided between men and women, so she didn't have access to any of Clint's crossbows or Bucky's guns, but in Natasha's locker there were bound to be weapons galore.

Something hit the door- hard. Samantha jumped and pulled out the first thing her hand touched- a long combat knife. She backed away from the locker and prepared herself for a fight, short as it would be. There was another loud _thump_ , Natasha cried out, then all went quiet.

After a moment the door slid up. Natasha's body slumped halfway into the room and Samantha _prayed_ she was only unconscious. Clint entered behind her- but as he crossed the threshold his form morphed and changed. The man who stood before her was pale, gaunt, feral, and though he appeared to be young enough, his eyes said that he'd seen the ugly side of life.

"So, this is the Midgardian who found the Norn blade," a cold, soft voice drifted ahead of the stranger. His voice made her think of oil- something toxic, dark, and slippery. You couldn't believe a word that came out of the mouth of someone like him.

He was calm as he slunk into the room, totally uncaring of the fact that he was in the Avengers home base. It told Samantha there was probably no one left to help her in a fight. She backed away from him towards the showers and tightened her hand on the knife, "Aw, you need not fear me, little one. It won't hurt much, if you cooperate."

"What do you want?" she ducked around a corner into the showers and heard the other man stop. Her cell phone began to ring in her pocket and it gave Samantha an idea. JARVIS was silent, the Avenges weren't coming… Samantha knew she wasn't going to like how this day ended. A knot tightened in her stomach and she took a deep breath, then lifted the knife and quickly slashed the tip of it across a small tile.

"What do I want?" Loki let out a thin, teasing laugh as he heard her blade hit glass, "Straight to business then," he stepped forward. The ringing on her phone stalled for a moment as it ticked over to voicemail, then resumed. _She always picks the best times to call._ She reached blindly into her pocket and answered, then turned her volume down all the way.

Samantha wrapped her left hand around the blade, took a deep breath, and drew it back as quickly as possible. The cold steel bit into her flesh and left two deep, bloody gashes. Samantha cried out and slammed her hand into the wall over the defaced tile. Before Loki rounded the corner she dropped the knife and used her other hand to write in the blood. Her hand was shaking, tears filled her eyes, and the pain from her hand was nearly blinding, but desperation made her push on. When Loki came back into sight it looked like there was a bloody handprint on the wall- nothing more. She clasped her hands together tightly to hide the blood on the tip of one finger and took a deep, hard breath, "What. Do. You. Want?" she hissed the question this time through gritted teeth.

Loki smiled and held his hand out to the side. A golden scepter appeared, "I only want to know one thing. That's all. One teeny, tiny, inconsequential little thing."

"Then you kill me?"

"I hate to be dramatic," Loki swung the scepter into Samantha's hip hard enough to shatter the phone in her pocket. Samantha hit the wall, _hard_ , and slumped to the floor, "Tell me where you hid your little find and I will make your death peaceful. You will feel no more pain, no fear- a single moment will pass and you will die easily. I will even heal that little cut on your hand- not a blemish will mar Steven Rogers' _latest_ lost lover." He walked towards her as he spoke. Samantha scrambled back along the wall. Blood dripped into her vision from a gash on her forehead- she hit the wall harder than she thought.

"Refuse to tell me what I want to know, and I will carve your flesh away, boil your blood, pull out your eyes, starve _and_ beat you until you _do_ tell me. Then, not only will I send your ruined corpse to the good Captain, I will give him visions of my own that he might see you screaming and begging and bleeding until they consume him." She hit the back tile of the showers. There was nowhere left to go. Loki slid in, uncomfortably close now, "So Samantha, what is your choice?" he reached up and gently stroked a lock of her hair- what she'd always thought of as _Steve's_ lock. Samantha shivered and turned away as Loki twirled his finger around the hair _just_ like Steve would after they'd had sex, "A quick, peaceful end?" he clenched his hand into a fist and put his staff at her throat, "Or tears, pain, and insanity?" he used the staff to pin her head in place and ripped the lock of hair from her- taking a piece of her scalp with him.

Samantha's scream echoed around them on the tile walls and was amplified a dozen times. Loki kept his staff on her throat and smiled as she cried through the wave of pain. Slowly, she tightened her injured fist until it cut through the fear and the throbbing in her skull. Captain America's girlfriend couldn't be so easily scared. She reached out and grabbed Loki's scepter hand, staining him with her blood as well, "I choose… I choose option two. The one that gives them time to find me and _kill_ you." Tears fell freely as she faced down Loki and her voice shook. She was sobbing as much as speaking, but the message was clear.

Loki's smile made her want to vomit, "I was _sincerely_ hoping you would say that."


	16. Chapter 15

** Chapter 15 **

Clint hadn't been subjected to a hangover this intense in a _long_ time. His whole _body_ ached, his breathing was simply too loud to be realistic, his tongue was swollen and thick, and even the blinking red light was blinding him.

_Wait, blinking red what?_

He forced his eyes open- though the left one took some prodding before it complied. He was in the hanger, and only a single computer screen lit the darkness. Clint covered his eyes and half-crawled over to the monitor. He pulled himself up and tried to focus long enough to read the white text through a thin gap in his fingers.

_How much did I have to drink? Did I have another contest with Nat? Did I win?  
_

He honestly couldn't remember anything after he'd gone down to stock his new Hulk-tranquilizers in the Quin-Jet. He'd gotten halfway there when someone called him and-

_Tony, you bitch!_

Stark had blocked his path and shot him with one of the little sonic-repulsors he'd developed for Bucky. It wasn't a hangover that made everything hurt so badly, it was that damned little weapon! He'd been thrown across the hanger a bit then, when he was jumping up, Stark had come down on him with one of his new arrows. So not only was he shot, he'd been drugged?

Clint made out the words on the screen at last: SYSTEM WIPE: 93% COMPLETE. Hawkeye stumbled to the keyboard and canceled the operation. It would take _hours_ for JARVIS to be restored- what was Stark doing?

It was feeling less like Stark every second. Clint's instincts screamed _trap_. He shook his head and stumbled towards the jet rather than the door. From his locker on-board he grabbed tactical gear, a compound bow, all of his tazer arrows, and a selection of the more destructive ones. Before leaving, he raided the first-aid kit for bandages, smelling salts, and an entire bottle of Aspirin. He ran over to the small kitchen (recently restocked) and grabbed an M.R.E. pouch of instant coffee. It wasn't good, and he knew he'd pay for it later, but Clint tore open the pouch with his teeth and _ate_ the coffee dry. At least it would help wake him up.

Outside the hanger door he found Sam face-down over the back of a couch. A black arrow was still in his arm. Clint ran to him and pulled it free, then held the smelling salts under his nose. It took longer than he thought it should, but Sam jerked awake eventually. He cursed and groaned as he pushed himself into a standing position, then slumped heavily to the floor. Clint passed him a handful of the Aspirin before continuing down the hall.

He saw feet hanging out of Tony's lab and sure enough they led him to the next victim of the insane arrow-thief: Stark.

_What the hell is going on?_

He repeated the process he'd used with Sam on Tony. If anyone knew how to handle a hangover, it was Stark. Tony flipped over and kicked at Clint's leg, "What the hell is wrong with you, Barton?!"

"Me?!" Clint's voice was as raspy as Tony's, "You're the one who hit me with a Hulk-dart!"

" _You_ hit _me_!" Tony glared as he sat up, then studied Clint more closely, "You _didn't_ hit me?"

" _You_ didn't initiate a system wipe on JARVIS?"

" _WHAT_?!" Tony scrambled to his feet and ran to a computer- supporting himself on the tables and counters of his workspace. A keystroke woke the system up and he saw Clint's reboot processing, "We're under attack."

"We _were_ ," Clint waved Tony back to the hall and pointed to one of the windows. Last either man remembered, it was mid-morning. Now most of New York was dark. It was closer to dawn than dusk and the City That Never Sleeps was at least catching a nap.

"Where was Samantha?" Tony grabbed Clint's arm.

Sam must have had the same thought from his perch on the ground. He was halfway up the stairs to the communal living room before the others even reached the first step. He hit the wall at the top and used it as a brace while the world spun beneath him. He saw sparks shooting from a destroyed wall panel, "Get that open!"

Tony went immediately to work on the mangled mechanics and Clint pushed past both men to follow tracks in the carpeting. Three sets of footprints led to the locker room, "Nat!" he rounded a corner to find his friend slumped into the locker room. The hallway walls were dented and torn as though a fight had taken place. A long cut above Natasha's eye had left a bloody trail on the carpeting where she'd been thrown. Clint held the smelling salts to her nose and put an arm across his own throat. Natasha was grumpy whenever she was knocked out.

She jerked awake and immediately attacked. She struck his forearm (not his throat!) with impressive force and flipped him over so that she could kneel on his skull. Clint just went with it and hoped she didn't break anything before she stopped to check on her 'attacker'. Natasha slammed a fist into his stomach and groin- which was definitely _not_ something Clint was alright with, "IT'S ME!" his voice was a squeak as he whimpered and cupped his gonads, "It's me…"

"Clint?" Natasha stared at him for a second, "Samantha-" she ran into the locker room.

"I'll just… wait here… it's okay… I wasn't planning on… having any kids-" someone grabbed him from behind and lifted him off the ground. Bucky slammed him into the door-frame shoulder-first, "STOP HITTING CLINT! ASSASSINS, LEAVE CLINT ALONE!"

"How do I know it's you?" Bucky had murder in his eyes. Steve and Thor came stumbling into the hall behind him.

"MY BOYISH GOOD LOOKS?!"

"Where's Samantha?!" Steve came up behind Bucky, "CLINT, WHAT HAPPENED?!"

"I don't know!" Clint leveled a kick at Bucky's hip. The super-soldier dropped him, but pinned Clint against the wall with his metal arm, "Listen, I was in the hanger, _Stark_ shot me with that sonic thing he made to handle Bucky's episodes, then he hit me with a Hulk-tranq!"

"And then I saw him come out of the hanger and _he_ shot _me_." Sam was on Clint's side in this one- it wasn't right.

"He got me too, but whoever he was he also initiated a termination order on JARVIS- so at some point he had my face, voice, and biometrics." Tony pulled Bucky back from Clint, "We both know Clint's not smart enough for that."

"He's right! Someone got us with some sort of new-gen camo tech!" Clint whipped around to stare at Tony, "Wait, not smart enough for whatnow?"

"STEVE!" Natasha's shout from the locker room made _everyone_ come running.

Thor steadied Clint as Bucky released him and the two hobbled in together, but Thor spoke to no one. The Asgardian was given a double-dose of the sedative. As much as the world still wobbled around the Avengers, it was twisting, warping, and spinning around him. His only personal goal at the moment was to remain upright and vomit-free.

There was blood all over the girls showers. Steve's stomach dropped at the sight of it. Several cracked tiles were stained red from where Samantha hit the wall, and another stream of blood covered the back wall and floor. One of Natasha's knives was discarded and bloody near the shower entrance where a hand-print had dripped halfway down the wall before the blood congealed.

Natasha had a mass of hair and human tissue in one hand. She pressed it into Steve's palm- a lock of Samantha's hair, "The Norn did this." His expression shifted from bewildered fear to violent hatred.

Bucky saw something in the hand-print- swirls in the thicker lines of blood, "Steve, I think Samantha left us something." He raised and lowered his head so that he could follow the swirls. It was like trying to follow a single thread among dozens, "L-O-K-I? She wrote it in the blood."

Steve's rage shifted targets and landed squarely on Thor, " _You said he was dead_!"

Thor nodded and covered his mouth (just in case), "He was." The words were an ill murmur.

"Could you be _wrong_? _Again_?" Clint prompted, "That little bitch likes to fuck with me _and_ my face-" he pointed to Tony, "-that came out wrong and we both know it, don't even start."

Thor merely shrugged, "I did not think Loki survived the _first_ time he was supposedly killed. My brother's tricks no longer surprise me. He could be alive, I do not know."

Bucky spat into his hand and wiped away the blood to reveal a design beneath it, lightly scratched into a tile, "There's an 'X' here. Hold on-" he inspected several tiles above it, " _'Find X_ '. That's all it says."

"I'm going to kill him. As many times as it takes before it sticks- _I'M GOING TO KILL HIM!"_ Steve's fist tightened around the lock of Samantha's hair.

_"_ Bucky and I will get started on the message." Natasha picked her knife off the floor and inspected it, "Tony, how long until we've got JARVIS back? I want to know _exactly_ what happened."

"An hour until ultra-basic function is restored, at that point I can at least plug in backup drives to help him boot faster. Maybe 6 hours until general function, 10 until he's back up and running fully. I'll have him prioritize recovering the security feeds first. These cameras have a 24-hour loop recorder in them, we didn't lose any of that data… I hope." Tony immediately ran from the room to his lab to see if there was any way he could speed up the process.

"I will go to Asgard and alert the Allfather. If Loki, too, has entered his race, we _must_ petition the Valkyrie openly."

"Be careful. Only six of us knew about the Norn and their weapons, and I'm betting that's why Loki came calling. There's a mole in that city somewhere." Bucky glanced at Steve. He needed a mission, a job, _anything_ , "You should start alerting world leaders. Tell them as much or as little as you want, but at the very least they deserve to know this 'Loki' guy is back and he's looking for an army. I'm betting he'll go to Hydra for assistance."

"Right… Um- Clint, you're with Banner and Stark, Bucky and Natasha get Sam. I want someone on each team who can fly or fly a jet. I don't care what you have to do, just _find Samantha_." Steve jumped on the chance to be proactive. He was a leader and a fighter, but until they had someone to fight he was useless. He ran out of the locker room after Tony and Thor with Samantha's hair clenched in his hand.

Sam shook his head, "We need to find him someone to kill. _Fast_."

* * *

Sam was sent on a coffee run as the spies analyzed Samantha's clue. 'X' could mean something in her apartment in Bloomington, a point on a map- anything. The only part of the message that was unique was the size of the letter. "Find" was scraped into the middle of the tiles- one letter per tile, but the 'X' stretched from corner to corner and had one long line across the top and bottom- almost like an hourglass. Bucky pulled out his black notebook and sketched both the message and the tiles.

"Here-" Sam handed him a mug and looked at Bucky's drawing, "Find 'X'… if you were running prom a psychopath, what would your last message be? If you knew they'd get you."

"Considering what's going on?" Bucky downed half the mug to try and stave off the rest of the tranquilizer in his system, "No judgement?"

"No judgement."

"When I lost my arm, when I woke up on Hydra's table, when they screwed this _thing_ on… I-I just wanted my mother." He sat still for a moment, then fixed Sam with an ice-cold glare, "Repeat that to _anyone_ and I rip your tongue out." Natasha touched Bucky's arm and said something to him in Russian. They argued a moment before Bucky conceded, "Sam, I apologize. _Please_ don't tell anyone what I said."

Falcon almost laughed, "Man, it'd surprise me more if you _didn't_ think about Mama Barnes. Hell, if I was in your shoes I'd be _screaming_ for my mom. It's a fear thing. Look, my point was that maybe the 'X' means-"

"Ten." Natasha took the book from Bucky and stared up at the tile, "The lines on the top and bottom- it's a Roman numeral. 'Find Ten'."

"Ten what?"

"How much you want to bet it's the sister?" Natasha had her cell out and was running searches. "Got her." She turned the phone over to Bucky and Sam, "Doctor Kris _ten_ Gunvald from Bar Harbor in Maine. Samantha's hometown, and she's a psychologist. If we had JARVIS, he'd confirm it's her."

Sam read the description under her name, "Specializes in CPTSD, DESNOS, and DTD-" he pointed to Bucky, "-that's _all_ you… It fits- Samantha said her sister worked with extreme cases of PTSD."

"There are only a few like her in Maine, and she's the only one young enough _and_ the only one with 'ten' in the name."

Bucky had a bad feeling about it all, "But why ' _Find_ Ten'? Does Loki have the sister too?"

"She might know something. Maybe Samantha got a message out, maybe she just wanted her family."

"Either way, we need to make sure we get there first," Natasha left the shower area and went to her locker to suit up.

"We can't use the Quin-Jet until JARVIS is back, hanger doors are still his turf until Tony finishes his garage door opener."

Natasha tapped her comms to open them, "Tony, how long until we'd be able to use the Jet?"

"Seven hours minimum. Don't talk to me, I'm working."

"It's an eight hour drive, or eleven hours when you add flight time." Bucky broke away to go change into tactical gear.

"I'll use my wings to scout ahead," Sam did a one-shot with his coffee. "Enjoy the road trip."

"Good luck."

"Save that for Steve. He's gonna need it."


	17. Chapter 16

** Chapter 16 **

"Lord Tyr, we must discuss the custody of the Treaty of Vanaheim. It _belongs_ in the Valkyrie Archive." Wynd pounced as soon as Tyr entered the black archives.

The scribe was in no mood for the old fight, "Archivist Wynd, the Valkyrie _gave_ those documents to the Great Library-"

"- _for safekeeping_. That was _before_ we moved our Vault here. It was understood that the treaty would be returned."

"No such provision was placed on the documents. They were a _gift_." He led her to his office and closed the door, there were a few Valkyrie and other scholars in the Archives today, experience told him the debate would go on for a while and he wasn't about to subject others to it, "The Counsel of Yggdrasil ruled-"

"-I do not care." Wynd's entire demeanor changed once the door closed. Her eyes lit with fear and she wrung her hands anxiously, "I- I couldn't just sit idly by. I opened the Vault. My access is severely limited until I have permission of the High Commander, but I did find an entry on the sword Laevateinn."

Tyr was immediately interested, "What is it?"

Wynd glanced to the door and lowered her voice to a whisper, "I found an incident report from when the Norn were new to the Valkyrie. Skuld- the Caster of the three- enchanted their weapons with a _recall spell_."

"What does that mean?"

"It means one Norn weapon can be used to call another. Harmless on its own, but if someone had _two_ of their blades?"

"Mjolnir, and now what we must assume are the Swords of Skuld." Tyr swallowed hard, "What was the third?"

"The Reaper's Scythe," Wynd ran a hand through her hair, "I believe one Norn yet lives, loose on Midgard. She _must_ have the Scythe already- _something_ directed Laevateinn to send the human girl after the Swords. Now that they are lost? If the Norn finds them first she can use them to simply call Laevateinn to her."

"And if Prince Thor and his allies find the Swords first they will have the power to summon the Scythe…"

"Midgardians _cannot_ have such power- no one can! It's why the blades were hidden in the first place!"

"Agreed, but we can worry about _how_ to secure the weapons once we _have_ them. Odin's charm on Mjolnir is holding- only Prince Thor or someone worthy may wield Laevateinn. It will not stop someone from claiming it if they have the Swords _and_ the Scythe, but it _is_ secure, for now."

Wynd hung her head, "The weapons _must_ be retrieved, but to find them we _must_ have Lady Samantha. She is the key to locating the Swords and… When the Valkyrie meet- regardless of who is chosen as High Commander- they will have no choice but to order her capture. We have ways to make her reveal what happened to the Swords."

"No Midgardian could survive that," Tyr was aghast.

"I know." To her credit, she did appear to be miserable over the whole thing, "One of the first acts the new High Commander will order is the torturous death of a child younger than even most _candidates_ for Valkyrie training… A child who's innocence is unquestioned… When I was younger, when Queen Frigga trained me, she intended for me to take the mantle of High Commander and she warned me that the position required the most difficult decisions imaginable… I did not know this was what she meant."

"It may not come to all of that," Tyr was a soldier once, he knew the burden Wynd was under. "Thor and his allies are wise, I have hope they will find a solution before the Valkyrie meet."

A soft knock on the door made both jump. Tyr and Wynd scowled quickly before the door was opened, "Scribes, I apologize for my interruption." It was one of the Valkyrie guards posted just inside the gate of the Black Archives. None could enter or leave unescorted, and when Tyr was within this office they occasionally relayed messages to him or to Wynd.

"Do not apologize, this was a wasted visit," Wynd snapped. She gave no one cause to wonder at the private meeting.

"A summons was delivered to you both," the guard held out two scrolls. Someone would have had to call the message out for the Valkyrie to transcribe, which meant it was urgent enough that they were willing to be overheard by anyone nearby, if only for expedience sake.

Wynd and Tyr accepted theirs and broke the wax seals. The message was from Prince Thor, and only three words were written, "Loki has Samantha."

The guard waited patiently, "Your presence is requested in the Eternal City."

"No," Wynd's expression softened to one of sadness. She looked to Tyr and crumpled up the note, "Send word to the Valkyrie Generals… I hereby order an emergency summit."

"Scribe Wynd-"

She cut the guard off, "All Valkyrie will prepare to elect the High Commander."

"You do not have the authority for such demands, Scribe. The Generals will not agree to this."

"Tell them a Norn weapon has been discovered on Midgard, and Loki of Jotunheim stands to take possession of the Swords of Skuld… There is also significant evidence to suggest that not only has the Reaper's Scythe been uncovered- it is already in the hands of a surviving Norn. The Generals _will_ call for an emergency election to preserve the Nine Realms- as our vows charge us to do."

"Y-yes, Lady Wynd," the guard knew the stories of the Norn- the tales were used to scare young Valkyrie for thousands of years. She never dreamed they were _real_.

"Lord Tyr, tell Asgard the Valkyrie _will_ mobilize to face this threat." Wynd's face was grim, "Either Loki is stopped before the Norn joins in this fray, or a second Valkyrie War will begin."

* * *

"Welcome to Bar Harbor, the tiny town _crawling_ with Hydra agents." Sam slumped into a patio chair at Stewman's grill and began chugging one of the glasses of iced tea Bucky and Natasha had ordered. It was surprisingly hot in Maine, and he'd just spent roughly six hours slinking around hedges and hiding behind trees to avoid Hydra- all while dragging a heavy duffle bag with his Avengers uniform stuffed inside. Sam wasn't even particularly fond of iced tea- he was simply overheated and dehydrated.

Bucky took Sam's duffle bag and stowed it between himself and Natasha. He was on-edge to begin with in the packed restaurant, but now that Sam mentioned Hydra he was hyper-vigilant. Natasha slid a hand onto his thigh and felt his metal hand close over hers, but he still did not relax.

"We know Loki had some organization helping him out before the Battle of New York. Given _his_ rhetoric I think it's a safe call to say Hydra allied with him to some extent. They give the same speeches about freedom being the enemy to peace." Natasha pushed a bowl of lobster chowder to Sam and waved a waitress over for drink refills, "Eat, don't draw attention." She nudged Bucky until he picked up his spook and took a few obligatory bites, "Sam, what did you find out?"

"Hydra has Dr. Gunvald's apartment on lockdown, but I can tell you right now they don't have _her_. They've got too much of a presence here, they can't find her. I talked to her receptionist first thing, she told me that every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday the doctor makes house calls to more sensitive patients around the state, but she called in mid-morning Friday to shift her patients to other specialists within their network. She completely cleared her slate for the foreseeable future."

"She knows something- and she knew it three days _before_ Samantha was taken." Bucky's eyes narrowed as another waitress approached. This one was in expensive jeans and nice shoes- not something you usually saw on someone who spent the day rushing about on their feet.

"Hello everyone, are you enjoying your meals?" her smile was nothing if not polite. Bucky sized her up- long, straight black hair, pale eyes, perfect makeup- but she was in her late twenties, older than the high-school students serving everyone else. Her hands weren't right either- she had a nice ruby ring on her right middle finger that looked to be real, perfectly manicured nails, and hands that were smooth and soft. Her muscle mass suggested someone who knew how to fight, not wait tables in a small town.

"Everything is fine, thank you for asking." Natasha couldn't have made the underlying 'leave now' any clearer. She was reading the girl just as Bucky had- probably Hydra.

"Aw, I'm so glad to hear that," the waitress immediately slid into the seat next to Sam. She smiled at his incredulous expression, turned to Bucky, and winked, "Спящий, солдат." Bucky's eyes rolled up in his head and his body went limp in the seat. Sam and Natasha both drew weapons of their own as two _clicks_ came from under the table- the woman had drawn guns from her apron and pointed them at both Avengers stomachs. Her pleasant smile vanished in favor of an angry scowl, "Now, where the _fuck_ is my sister?!"

"Doctor Gunvald?" Natasha was surprised.

"So you've heard of me." She glanced over at Sam, "I saw you sneaking around my office- are you with the guys tossing my place?"

Natasha held up her hand and slid the Widow Bite back into her bracelet. She raised her other hand to show she was unarmed, "We're not Hydra, we're Avengers." She had to be quiet in the crowded patio. Natasha slowly reached over and slid the collar of Bucky's shirt aside to reveal the edge of his metal arm, "Samantha told you about him, right?"

"The guy who got drunk and hurt her- and she wanted to make sure _he_ was alright." Kristen took a deep breath and Natasha heard her click the safety back on. She'd thought she was tracking Hydra, it was a relief to get the Avengers instead, "What happened to Samantha?"

"She was taken by an enemy agent," Sam smiled as their _real_ waitress glanced over and took a bite of his food to keep her from approaching, "We're tracking her down, but she left a note telling us to find you."

Ten's scowl melted, "I knew it…"

"She got a message to you?" Sam didn't wait for Ten to confirm, "What was it?"

"Thursday afternoon she called and left a voicemail. It was weird- garbled, unintelligible, and in a language I don't even know. I thought she'd butt dialed me- the next morning we talked and she sounded fine so I-" Ten shook her head, "I let it go…"

"No, you cleared your schedule- why?" Natasha wasn't letting her off so easily.

"I was going to drive to New York to check on her and ask you about whatever they found in Bloomington." Ten admitted, "Look- I respect what you all do for this world, I really do, but Samantha being with Steve is like playing with fire… I knew she'd get burned. I was going to stay in New York until she was back in Bloomington, safe from _you_. I tried to call her before I left and there was just a bunch of mumbling, a crash, and the line went dead. The goons were outside my apartment before I finished packing so I _ran_. Spent the night in a motel and when I went back to see if they were gone I saw your friend her behind a hydrangea."

"'Find Ten', that's what Samantha wrote before she was taken. We couldn't get here quickly all together, so I came on ahead."

Kristen shook her head and slowly slid the guns back into her stolen apron, " _What happened_? Where is she? Who has her?"

"Not here," Bucky's condition was beginning to draw curious eyes, "how did you know how to drop him?"

"I'm a specialist. I've done a lot of research on coded triggers. Samantha said he was held by the KGB and Hydra? I took a shot in the dark. He's got that kicked-dog vibe going, I figured it would work."

"Wake him up."

"No," Ten was looking around now too, "it won't be quiet, and it won't be pretty."

Natasha glanced to Sam. He nodded, but it was tense to say the least, ""Alright, but we'll need to get him somewhere secure. And you don't want to be in his line of sight."

"I know a spot, come on." Ten pulled out a wallet and dropped cash on the table. She took a steadying breath and stood, "I wake him up, you answer my questions, then I get my sister back. Deal?"

"Deal."


	18. Chapter 17

** Chapter 17 **

Samantha snapped awake. Her entire body was freezing on the hard stone floor. When she was taken she was in a t-shirt and capris. In this environment they provided little protection.

_When I was taken…_

She'd come to on the floor, but now Samantha tried to sit up- _tried_ being the operative word. As soon as she moved her head a blinding bolt of pain shot through her from behind her right ear. Samantha cried out and relaxed her back immediately, but the paid did not subside. Tears ran down her cheeks and she reached back to feel for the source of her agony.

This time she only whimpered as she tried to open her right hand. More pain radiated from there, but it was sharper, more defined. She stared at her balled fist glued closed by blood and tried to think of what to do. Her left arm was twisted beneath her and she didn't need to test it to know freeing the limb would hurt more than help. Either she was incredibly unlucky or someone deliberately arranged this.

Loki's face as he ripped out a chunk of her scalp flashed through Samantha's mind and made her flinch (which only made her head hurt more). Slowly, the entire ordeal came back to her- everything up to Loki's grin as she chose the path of most resistance. She realized where her pain was coming from- congealed blood and hair ahd her head stuck fast to the stone, just as the knife cuts on her palm kept her fist closed. With her eyes open she could see the stone ceiling aand four solid stone walls, but it was disorienting- no lights, no windows, no doors- it should have been pitch black, but it wasn't. Regardless- there was nothing to help her. No buckets of water sat within easy reach to soak her hand in, no doctors on standby waiting for her to wake up.

Samantha had two options- lay still forever and add hypothermia to her list of woes, or get up. Hypothermia was more attractive, but less realistic- unfortunately.

_On the count of three go, and don't stop until you're all done, no matter what._

Kristen's voice drifted to her from a childhood memory. Samantha, always the more adventurous sibling, had fallen out of a tree. The incident earned her not only a few cuts and bruises, but also a split she was fairly confident set some sort of world record. Kristen rejected her repeated claims that she'd been impailed. Back then, Samantha had bawled as her sister grabbed the end of the twig (or _branch_ , depending on which of them was telling the story) and _insisted_ on doing the honors herself. Now she wished more than anything that Ten was beside her to help now.

_One._

_Two._

_Three!_

Samantha wrenched her left arm free, used it to help force her palm open, then put both hands on either side of her head and used the shockwave of pain to roll onto her side and free herself from the blood that held her head down. Samantha curled into the fetal position and held her head as a horrific scream ripped from her throat. The pain was worse than she'd imagined, it was all she could process and more. She couldn't see, hear, or feel the cold stone for several seconds- there was only pain in her world. Part of her went into shock, but unfortunately the little whisper in her head wondering if she'd lose her voice did nothing for the agony.

Slowly it dulled to a more manageable level. Samantha felt something warm on her left cheek and pulled her hand away to wipe at it- blood. She needed to sit up before it dried again. Hopefully the injured hand wasn't already at that point.

_One._

_Two._

_Three!_

She sat up. The motion made her neck twinge and Samantha braced herself. She felt several violent shocks of pain, but nothing sustained longer than a few seconds. Nothing like before.

Gingerly, Samantha looked around the room in its entirety ( _without_ turning her neck). Her assessment from the ground wasn't wrong- four solid walls, the ceiling, and the floor. No windows, no doors- nothing. She remembered how Clint had shimmered and changed into Loki- this had to be another trick. The walls were solid, yes, but were there really four of them? She studied each carefully. Three had unique features- a chipped stone, less mortar between two levels, and a rock that kind of looked like a blobby face. The other wall had the same chipped stone, so one of the two had to be the fake. Samantha held the back of her hand to both- the first was giving off a faint heat. She touched it.

Abruptly the wall turned gold and rippled away, exposing a short hallway and a guarded door. The guards wore tactical gear and held rifles at their sides. Neitehr so much as acknowledged Samantha's presence. She reached out again and felt something elastic that hummed with energy- a barrier keeping her in place.

"I have to say, I'm impressed!" Samantha whipped around, then cried out as her neck vehemently opposed the motion. She fell to a knee. Loki was behind her with a proud smile on his face, "I thought you'd never get up, and I _certainly_ didn't expect that you'd break the illusion on your first try! You are smarter than you look."

Samantha forced herself back up and stared Loki down. His smile only grew, "Oh, you have _fire_ in those veins, don't you? The Captain's little pet. I have _no_ doubt he will make quite the effort to find you, but will it be enough? That's up to you." Loki waved a hand and a chair appeared. He slid into it and chuckled, "Those men behind you? Hydra's best. You wouldn't survive an Asgardian inquisitor and, honestly, I do not command one- yet. I do, however, have Hydra's interrogation specialists, and I can be _quite_ persuasive on my own."

"I don't know anything, but if I did I'd _never_ tell you." Samantha spat at Loki's feet. It was an archaic gesture, but she figured it would mean more to him. Judging by his souring expression, she was right.

"Everyone thinks they can withstand torture at first. It's only pain, I won't give in, I'll go mad first… But I can assure you, no matter your resolve you _will_ tell me where you hid the swords, and when I kill you your last words will be 'thank you' because at that point it will be a new, special torture to live. I _promise_ you the Avengers will not find your body soon enough to do more than pick up the bones. A Norn has risen, do you really believe the Avengers will prioritize you over the world?"

"They'll find me," Samantha could almost _see_ Steve running in through the doors and taking out the silent guards, "You're the one who's going to beg for death."

Loki laughed and his good cheer returned, "Shall we see who's right? I think it's time to begin." He looked past Samantha to the guards, "Bring her to me." Loki's form rippled, then vanished. With an electric _hum_ the barrier collapsed and the Hydra guards stepped forward.

_Hurry Steve_.


	19. Chapter 18

** Chapter 18 **

_It was barely even a road, but the Winter Soldier squelched along obediently in the May drizzle. He was told to follow it for a quarter of a mile, then turn onto a private drive. His targets would be inside the house. Terminate with prejudice, provide verification of kills, then torch the building. Standard work. His handlers would await his arrival at the end of the avenue. It rained fiercely as he was dropped off, but now the skies were clearing. He picked up the pace lest the full moon alert the neighbors- even in these secluded homes you couldn't be too careful of curious eyes._

_Number ten was 'protected' by a large stone gate. The Winter Soldier knew who was hiding inside the distant house: a couple of SHIELD officers on vacation. Whoever they were, his handlers_ really _didn't want them returning. It would be a tragic accident, as ordered. A SHIELD investigation had to be minimal, they couldn't know the couple was assassinated._

_SHIELD involvement changed the perimeters of the mission. Their presence meant the fence would be more defended than he could know. Motion detectors, censors, scans- who knew what kind of security features they might have hidden in the stone? Unfortunately for them, the Winter Soldier was an expert. He jumped into the lower branches of a nearby tree and began to climb rapidly. Once he was high enough, he jumped. The motion took him far over any security features in the fence. It was rare for security to take someone with_ his _abilities into account._

_He rolled as he landed and ran for the large brick home at full speed. There were lights on in the southeast corner- blueprints said kitchen and dining room. He stayed far from sight as he circled outside and kept a weary eye to the clouds above. His window was shrinking_ fast _._

_The targets were visible inside through sheer white curtains. Two Agents in their 30s, male and female, laughing at something out of sight as they brought dinner to the table. The Winter Soldier fell immediately to his knee and pulled his rifle off of his back. This would be an easy enough shot- angled through the soft tissue of their throats for maximum effect. Hydra had provided him with accelerants that would not show up on a standard SHIELD test and guaranteed nothing but bone would be left behind._

_He waited until both were facing the dining room and fired two quick shots- one bullet through each. They fell immediately in a shower of blood. Phase one, complete._

_The Winter Soldier bolted for the house. He had ten minutes to arrange the fire and collect his bullets. The back door was unlocked. He ran inside and promptly retrieved one bullet from the lead-lined wall of the kitchen. SHIELD made life easy, even if they couldn't manage to craft a bullet proof window capable of surviving Hydra's new guns._

_A soft_ creak _made the assassin stop mid-step. No witnesses- that was the order. His gun would be too much in close quarters, but he had more than enough accelerant to handle any guests the Agents may have had. The Winter Soldier pulled out a long serrated knife. He was more than ready to gut whoever thought to hide from him._

_He listened for more sound as he crept towards the front door down a narrow hallway. No floorboards creaked underfoot, so he started eyeing doors- something made the sound after all. The hallway had a long rug running its entire length- in front of what must have been the coat closet the carpet was brushed up. Someone was inside. He tightened his grip on the knife, grasped the door handle, and-_

* * *

"Солдат просыпаются."

Bucky was still half-lost in memories. He ripped open the door, swung his knife to deliver a fatal blow to whoever was hiding inside the closet- and slammed his empty hand onto loose gravel.

Generally-speaking, Bucky remembered everything- go, kill, return, but dreams like this gave him the specifics back. He knew that this particular mission would end… _strangely_. His impression of it was neither good nor bad, but he'd been off afterwards. His next two missions would fail, he'd be tossed into the chair and wiped once again, and when he emerged he'd be 'fine' by Hydra's standards. Something about what he saw in that closet- the guard he was about to kill…

"What. The. Fuck." Bucky looked up at the three in front of him. Sam, Natasha, and the waitress who'd shut him down were all standing together like they were best friends- except everyone looked pissed. They were on some overgrown back-road next to what appeared to be a hunting cabin. The trees around them were dense and tall- some kind of forest.

"Sorry," the woman, probably Kristen Gunvald, came over to offer Bucky a hand up. He refused and slowly rose over her- he had at least a foot on her height, "I saw Sam creeping around my office and thought you were Hydra. You had that 'Asset' look so…" she shrugged and offered Bucky her hand again, "I apologize. It was a safety precaution."

"Do you have any idea how _dangerous_ that was?!" Bucky was seething, "You didn't stop to think you could have activated the Winter Soldier?!"

Dr. Gunvald accepted his anger calmly (damn shrinks), "Violent response triggers are complex, non-linear, and typically ten words long. I tried _two words_. Sleeper codes are general and simple so that they can be shared with general handlers who don't have clearance of higher officers. The patient cannot be re-coded, but they can be stopped in case of emergency. For people programmed by the Russians a general 'Sleep' command tends to work." She smiled at Bucky's incredulous stare, "I took a class in verbal triggers. Also, you're the fifth person I've met or treated directly with them. Now the baddies use sequenced light cues, it's harder to hijack."

"The code you used to wake him up- we've tried it, it doesn't work." Sam crossed his arms.

"Say it like an angry German trying to speak Russian."

"How do _you_ know that?" Bucky growled. His adrenaline was still high and he was _pissed_.

Kristen shrugged, "Samantha said you were held by the KGB and Hydra. I figured it was worth a shot. Now- your turn." She turned to Natasha, "Where is my sister, who has her, and why?"

"Samantha dug up something in Bloomington, something a lot of people have been looking for for a long time. Some kind of weapon- we're not 100% on that yet, but we're working on it. We've got evidence that she took the weapon and hid it. You have to understand- it's not just humans looking for this thing. Samantha was taken by another interested party."

Sam wasn't giving Kristen all of the cards- he didn't trust her yet, and until JARVIS was up and running all they knew was that she introduced herself as Kristen Gunvald. For all he knew she was another Hydra agent or even just Loki working another angle. Besides, he didn't buy her story about simply _guessing_ how to shut Bucky down. When he told her what happened to her sister though, abbreviated as it was, her face visibly sagged. Deep bags appeared under her eyes, her shoulders slumped, and she rocked slightly on her heels. She looked like she was going to cry, "She told me she wasn't there. She said _someone else_ found something, that she was home sick."

"She lied. _She_ found it."

"Who took her?"

"I don't-"

" _WHO TOOK MY SISTER?!_ " Kristen's scream echoed in the vacant forest.

"A Jotun- it's a creature from the Realms. Like Asgard. We think he had Hydra help." Natasha nodded to Sam. Her phone buzzed and she held it over for him to see. Kristen's picture stared back at them, alert and vacant-eyed from her driver's license. This was their girl alright- or at least she looked like their target.

"A Jotun…" Kristen was taking slow, deep breaths, but at that she picked up the pace, " _A Jotun who works with Hydra_. You're talking about Loki, aren't you? Loki has my sister? The man who killed _thousands_ in New York without blinking? That Loki?"

Bucky could see that Sam and Natasha weren't going to answer her, so he did, "Yes. We don't have a lot of time to find her. 'Find Ten', Samantha's message makes me think _you_ have an answer for us."

"I- I don't know… I don't-"Kristen let out a sob and covered her mouth. She crouched down for a moment and tried to get control, "I- I have to," she was hyperventilating, on the verge of a full-blown panic attack, "I have to-"she covered her mouth and abruptly ran for the cabin. It wasn't the run of someone escaping, it was the run of someone desperate and scared.

"Give her a minute," Natasha held the other two back, "it's a lot to process." She nodded to Bucky, "Want to do a few laps around the perimeter? Blow off some steam?"

"Yeah, let's go." He started walking, not caring who was going to follow. Now that they knew Gunvald could shut down Bucky, he wasn't going to be walking alone.

Sam went with Bucky while Natasha took a seat outside the front door of the cabin. She gave Kristen her privacy- the woman was having panic attack. She heard the bathroom fan click on and sighed.

_Samantha scratched a warning into the wall and left Loki's name in her own blood. This one's freaking out in the bathroom. Those two couldn't be more different… Unless-_

* * *

As soon as she locked the bathroom door and clicked on the fan, Kristen took a deep, steadying breath and whipped out her cell phone. She was shaking- but it was rage that fueled this, not fear.

"Hello? Doctor Gunvald?" a woman answered the phone.

The fan in the old ranger hut was loud and rickety, still- Kristen plugged her headphones in and held the microphone to her mouth so she could speak quietly, just in case, "Macie, how are you today?"

"Good, good. You? I was surprised when your assistant called…"

"Oh, I'm sorry about that. I'm afraid I got some bad news and I won't be in for a while… You will _love_ Doctor Wyatt though, I promise."

"What bad news? Are you alright?" Macie sounded tense.

Kristen sighed, "I'm fine it's- it's my sister. She's gone missing and it doesn't look good."

"Samantha?! No! What can I do? Charles! Come here!" Macie called out to her husband. She'd been a patient of Kristen's since she was a humble grad student overseeing the occasional group therapy session. She knew Samantha only from Kristen's stories, but she was the kind of person who'd help anyone.

"What's wrong?" A man's voice joined hers- middle-aged, highly educated, and accented faintly with French tones.

"Doctor Gunvald's sister is missing!"

"Kidnapped," Kristen clarified as the line clicked- Macie had put her on speakerphone.

"Just tell me what you need," Charles was all business suddenly, "I'll do what I can, we owe you more than we could ever repay."

"You know our deal Charles, you helped broker it. I would _never_ ask you to break that pact or compromise yourself in any way. Our truce will always stand, as far as I'm concerned."

"Agreed. What do you need?"

"Assurance. A man using _your_ resources took my sister and… and there's a good chance he's going to hurt her, if he hasn't already."

"What?!" Charles was surprised, "Who? Why?"

"He's looking for something, and he thinks Sammy can get it for him, but she _can't_. I know I can't expect you to return her, we aren't that close, I _know_ that… But I need someone to make sure she makes it home- _whole_."

"I'll see to it personally. Samantha will _not_ be harmed."

"Do you know where she's being held?"

"No- if I knew she was being taken I would have put a stop to it. I swear."

Kristen nodded, even though he couldn't see her, "Alright, thank you Charles- and thank you too Macie. Charles- make sure that the others know I've no intention of reneging on our deal. Patient confidentiality is a top priority."

"I know, I trust you."

"If you trust me so much then why did I see your nephew's tactical unit snooping around my place?"

Charles laughed softly, "Okay, so _now_ I know. I'll do what I can for Samantha, you take care of yourself. You're the only doctor I know I can trust for my Macie. I want you back as soon as possible."

"Thank you."

"Hail Hydra." Charles' lined died.

"Hail Hydra," Kristen murmured the traditional response as she slipped her cell phone back into her pocket. She was _scared_ , but she trusted Charles to at least protect Samantha from physical harm, and if they did any psychological damage- well, at that _she_ could fix.

She looked at herself in the dirty mirror, splashed some cold water on her face, and braced herself to face the Avengers again. Kristen unlocked the door and came face-to-face with Natasha. Black Widow smiled for a moment before slamming a Widow Bite into the underside of her chin. Kristen's muscles locked and she fell in a moment. Natasha stood over the unconscious doctor and sneered, "Hail Hydra."


	20. Chapter 19

** Chapter 19 **

"Clint, open the hanger door!"

"No."

"CLINT!"

"Kiss my ass!"

"CLINT! I AM YOUR _LEADER_ AND I AM _ORDERING_ YOU TO OPEN THIS DOOR!"

"Clearly you've never read his SHIELD file," Natasha came in from the elevators and tossed her jacket over the back of a chair, "that rarely works with him."

Steve abandoned the glass door and went to her instead, "How did it go?"

"Great! Bucky and Sam are securing our prisoner now."

Steve had been focused on planning Hydra raids all afternoon, so he was out of the loop on what happened in Maine, "Prisoner? Did you get Samantha's sister?"

"The Hydra psychologist? Yeah, like I said, we're securing her in the basement." Natasha crossed her arms, "Why are you fighting with Clint?"

"Hydra- WHAT?!"

"Don't change the subject."

"You changed it first!"

Clint still had the intercom open (and he actually checked his inbox), so he answered for himself, "Captain Braniac here thinks raiding random Hydra bases for prisoners will shake out intel on where Samantha is."

"How _American_." Natasha rolled her eyes, "Gunvald is Hydra, high-level contacts. If we get anything useful, you'll be the first to know."

"How do you know she's Hydra?" Samantha was so loving, so kind- Steve wasn't willing to believe her 'big sister', her role model, could be evil.

_Of course, Thor and Loki exist…_

"She used a Hydra shutdown code on Bucky, then woke him up again and tried to pass them off as something she just _happened_ to know. When we told her Hydra had Samantha she faked a panic attack and called someone named 'Charles', I'm assuming he's high-up. She seemed to think he could protect Samantha."

Steve's mind raced, "I want JARVIS to run a DNA sample against _everything_ , figure out if that's really Kristen Gunvald and-" he froze, then immediately rushed past Natasha to the elevators, "if she knew Bucky's shutdown she may know a trigger or control code! We've got to-" the elevator door opened and Steve braced for a fight. Bucky was the first thing he saw, and he looked _pissed_.

"I still say you should have let me get answers _now_. A little bit of potassium chloride- or a few lights punches- and she'd talk."

Sam appeared next as the doors opened, "We don't _torture_ people, and _Steve_ is the one who makes the call on use of truth serum."

"Hydra aren't _people_." Bucky stepped out.

Steve was still apprehensive, "You good, Bucky?"

"No, there's a Hydra shrink taking up space in my old apartment." As much as he hated Bucky calling the holding cell that, Steve was relieved. His anger was present- focused. When he fell into 'Asset Mode' his gaze was more passive and labored.

"I'll handle her, why don't you three get some rest?"

"We slept in the car," Sam lied, "what's the scoop here?"

"JARVIS had some pretty nasty security footage that tells us nothing new. Loki came in at street level and swapped faces until he got up here. Samantha-" Steve swallowed hard, "she told him she wasn't talking so we would have time to find her, but he doesn't plan on letting her go alive. JARVIS is trying to clean up the audio- we got most of it from the hallway cameras."

"Well, Gunvald may have done us a favor then. If Loki accepts Hydra's request then he'll start with the psychological torture. It'll leave scars but trust me, it takes longer." Bucky shrugged. They all knew what psychological torture could end in- he was the living embodiment, "Gives us more time to find her than if Loki started pulling fingernails, at least."

Steve growled softly and Bucky stepped out of his way, "Get Clint out of the hanger. I'm going to talk to our new _friend_."

"I'll make the popcorn," Clint was already halfway across the lounge.

"Hey- don't kill her," Natasha headed off to find Tony. Steve needed Stark there to ring him in if he lost control. Tony could override any commands Cap might give JARVIS, things like sucking the oxygen from the room or flooding it with nerve gas.

"I won't… Yet."

* * *

Kristen was dazed as Bucky pulled her from the trunk of the car and dragged her through the various secret basements of Avengers Tower. Now though, she was awake, calm, and collected. She'd have to be when they interrogated her. Calling Charles had been a calculated risk- she'd make the same call in a do-over, and she wasn't even mad at Natasha for the _tazer_ to the _throat_ (okay, maybe a little peeved).

The cell had a fake wall- some sort of energy barrier Bucky and Sam activated then turned opaque when they left. There was a bunk and retractable toilet built into the wall, but otherwise it was barren. When Bucky was still in the worst of his violent episodes the cell had been fitted with a rug, pictures, a bookcase, a writing desk, and even a radio- but all of that was gone now.

She waited roughly ten minutes (San and Bucky took her watch) before calling out, "If you're as worried about her as I am then you're on the other side of this wall, Steve."

The gray barrier flashed and turned transparent. Sure enough, Steve was standing there with a scowl, "Where is Hydra holding Samantha?"

"I have no idea."

"Liar!"

"I don't know because _I'm not Hydra_."

Steve actually laughed, "Natasha says you are, and I trust her with my life."

"Natasha misunderstood what she heard. Look, I get why she did what she did, but there's a good explanation."

"Oh, please, try me. I could _really_ use something to laugh at today."

Kristen knew from Samantha's stories that Steve was a reasonable man. She could only hope he was willing to be understanding too, "When I was a grad student I showed promise. I know how people think and I can _help_ them. I chose this specialty _because_ of how difficult it is. My supervisory professor partnered me with a friend of his- Doctor Andrew Garner."

"The SHIELD psychologist?" Steve's scowl broke slightly, now he was _really_ listening. Doctor Garner had evaluated him when he came out of the ice.

"He let me lead some group therapy sessions starting my second year of grad school- to see if I could handle treating the extreme stuff. I eventually took over and handled two different groups all the way through my master's and PHd studies. I didn't know he was SHIELD then. _After_ I got my license, _he_ gave me my first patients- most of them from those group sessions."

"He recruited you for SHIELD?"

"No." Kristen could tell she finally had his full attention, "Of my thirty patients, _ten_ came from SHIELD. I've known and helped these people for _years_. He got me SHIELD clearance so I could take over their solo sessions- _that's_ when I found out SHIELD existed. A few months after Hydra was outed I found out four of my SHIELD patients were _otherwise affiliated_. I'm damn good at what I do, and none of my patients are active on the roster or _can_ ever be active again. I figured it didn't do any harm to keep treating them, so I brokered a deal through both SHIELD _and_ Hydra. They don't interfere with me or the treatment of _my_ patients, and I keep treating them. No one knows how many of either side I have but _me_. I don't push agendas, I don't take sides, I just help."

"Like a doctor patching up the good guys and the bad ones in a war zone?" Tony ambled in from the hallway.

"Exactly."

"Except you play in people's heads. You knocked Bucky down, what else can you make him do?"

Kristen rolled her eyes, "The person Natasha heard me talking to- he was a powerful figure in SHIELD's Somali office. He made enemies, _scary_ ones. His wife was taken from their home, tortured, and programmed by an enhanced psychic. It took SHIELD six months to locate and recover her, by then she was almost completely gone. Before the psychic was _terminated_ , Charles had a shutdown trigger added in case she was set off while Doctor Garner- then myself- treated and deprogrammed her. It hasn't worked in two years, but knowing his _affiliations_ , I figured it must have been a common code. I don't know any others, I swear."

"You said you made a deal- who was the SHIELD end with?" Steve hoped only for someone familiar.

"Director Phil Coulson oversaw it personally."

"Phil-" Tony looked to Steve. Both men were visibly stunned, "Fury…"

"His number in my cell under 'Tax Accountant'. He'll verify everything. The Hydra contact I called is one of the major heads. He arranged our deal so I could keep up the work with his wife. I've treated her for so long she knows Samantha from the reception area. Her and her husband _love_ Samantha. He swore to me he would use his pull to stop Loki from hurting her. If that jackass is using Hydra resources then he will _have_ to listen."

"But he's not returning her?"

Kristen shook her head, "I'm not Hydra. I'm someone who's treating a few relatives of Hydra agents- Charles' wife, someone's husband, and two teenagers. It was overstepping to ask as much as I did. They're doing me a favor. Loki will still torture her-" a tear slipped down Kristen's cheek, "but psychological torture I can handle, and it buys us time to find her."

"Us?" Tony laughed, "That's optimistic. How about this- we leave you in here until Samantha is home safe and sound and _then_ we determine just how ethical your practices are?"

Kristen nodded, "That _might_ work, but can I offer an alternative? You verify my story as quickly as possible and then _let me out of this cell_."

"And why would we do that?" Steve was a fan of Tony's plan.

"Thursday afternoon at two-fifty three I got a call from Samantha. I told Sam, Natasha, and Bucky it was nothing, but I lied. You say Loki's after whatever she hid? I know where to start digging."

"How?"

"Let me out of here and I'll show you." Kristen crossed her arms and leaned back against the cement wall, "I suggest you hurry. I wasn't blessed with infinite patience, especially when my sister's life is in danger."


	21. Chapter 20

** Chapter 20 **

The Great Library was too still, too quiet, and too empty.

Thor sat now with Tyr in the Black Archives, both half-alert. The nature of this particular Valkyrie conclave meant nothing but magic guarded the Library and the Archives. To elect a High Commander every last soldier and lowly scribe were in attendance at the Fortress of Fate on Muspelheim (not that any but a trusted few outside of the order knew where the Valkyrie met). Soldiers from every race were left to surround the Library and stand guard as the Chief Scribe and Lead Patron held secure the most precious of the books.

In the past during such times, a few groups would always try for an attack, but none came now. It was as if every Race of every Realm already knew something was coming- something dark, ancient, overwhelming, and impossible. To the soldiers sent to guard the Library it was usually a time for lighthearted challenges to soldiers of different Realms- an inter-planetary Olympics of sorts (Thor was actively trying to arrange an official Realm version of the Midgardian games). This time though the atmosphere was muted and weary.

"How long should this have taken?" Thor fidgeted constantly. Heimdall could not see Lady Samantha and every moment that passed made him more anxious.

"It has taken hours, days, weeks- even years, once." Tyr was combing the shelves looking for anything to help- his latest idea was tracking spells to use on Loki. Every so often he shot the Vault of the Valkyrie a frustrated glance.

"I will never again believe my br- _that man_ \- is dead." Thor pledged, "I am not even willing to call him 'brother' anymore…"

Tyr had little counsel for the prince, "You have given him your love and trust time and time again. Whatever happens next is the fault of Prince Loki alone. Your father imprisoned him for his crimes against the Midgardians yet he _still_ stands against us- and that was a mercy compared to what he deserved… It may be time to consider the ultimate penalty."

"James Barnes- the man with the metal arm- he was captured by the enemy, tortured, manipulated, _controlled_ , and re-shaped for seventy years. For all he knew, when he _could_ remember himself, he was abandoned to his fate by Steven Rogers… yet he did not kill his old friend when ordered. After three months of searching we all found him and yes- he had to be contained in a cell to keep him from hurting himself or others at first, but now he fights with us. He never _once_ blamed Steven for his fate, though the man blames himself enough for the both of them. James Barnes, who has every reason or excuse to be a dark, twisted, cruel man stands up and fights for what is good and pure in the world… Loki was raised in luxury, with friends and kindness and love. True, the Warriors Three and Lady Sif were not overly fond of him, but he had allies of his own… Then he finds out he was kin in all but blood and tries _repeatedly_ to destroy all…"

Thor couldn't help comparing Bucky and Loki ever since he first heard of the man from Steve. True, he'd only been with the Avengers again less than a month, but he could see in Bucky a great hero… A man who should have been a villain. Loki was exactly the opposite- raised for greatness, but buried in darkness. It made Thor's heart sour and turned his tone bitter.

"James chose well his path. Loki will learn the consequences of _his_ decision soon enough, I suspect." Tyr could not see a way through their current predicament that ended with Loki alive and well. He'd seen the rage and fear in Steven Rogers and James Barnes as the Lady Samantha lay in the healing halls, and he knew of the altercation that nearly took place between the Avengers and King Odin. It was better that Thor not be present when they caught Loki, for he doubted the Jotun princeling would escape with his life. Thor had loved his brother, but Loki's constant betrayals were disappointing that love and turning it to hate.

Somewhere outside the Black Archives a raven crowed. Thor started and jumped up from his seat. Tyr looked around nervously, "Where did that come from?"

"I know not," Thor crept forward towards the barred gates of the Black Archives. Another loud _caw_ came from behind them. Both men turned sharply and scanned the shadows. Nothing entered the Black Archives unsupervised- no man, animal, bird, insect, or any other creature imaginable. The magics protecting the archives were ancient and powerful- laid back when the first stones of the library were put in place. Every precaution had been taken, every spell tried and tested. _Nothing could have gotten in_.

Thor slid Mjolnir down so that he held the weapon by the handle and readied to whip up a frenzy. The raven _cawed_ again- this time undeniably from the Vault of the Valkyrie.

As soon as it moved, Thor lashed out and sent a bolt of lightning straight into the large black creature. It struck straight in the breast, but the raven shot towards him, undeterred. It _cawed_ once more, inches from Tyr's head. Thor swung his hammer parallel to the scribe's face and the raven exploded in a flash of pure white light. In its place something the size of his fist, heavy, and dark fell to the ground.

Thor blocked Tyr and slowly approached the parcel. Mjolnir began to hum in his hand and he hesitated, then pointed the head of the hammer at the black box. The vibration became a shake and Thor had to grab the hammer with both hands to hold it steady. A massive bolt of electricity shot from the black object into Mjolnir. Thor turned his head from the light and waited as the tremor faded away and the vibrations ceased.

Once the lightning faded, the box was changed. Mjolnir- or rather, Laevateinn- set something off inside and it began to ripple and unfold. A piece of paper fluttered towards Thor as the black mass swirled and shifted into the Valknut, then into the symbol Thor had first seen on the dirt when Samantha's box vanished. Tyr picked up the paper as Thor cautiously grabbed the box.

Inside a silver ink glowed and formed the oldest Valkyrie script- a match to the language Samantha had spoken. As Tyr touched a character to even begin to try and decipher the writing the ink flashed, the note rippled, and it regrouped into modern Asgardian-

_Odin and Frigga tried to bury our history. You have six hours, grab what you can._

Tyr's breath caught as he realized what Thor held in his hand, "The key to the Vault…"

"How would the Norn have this?" Thor gaped at the black stone in his hand.

"Skuld was the castor of the three," he was repeating Wynd's revelation from earlier, but only now did Tyr understand the enormity of her words. "To have a key… to get a message in here…" he palmed the note and took the stone from Thor with his only hand. It was covered in runes and scratches in languages long forgotten. Tyr carried it to the door of the Vault. He'd never been allowed to see it open, but he touched the stone blindly to rock. The runes and carvings on the Vault immediately began to move and twist. Within seconds they were three very specifically intertwined triangles made of glowing lines of text, "The Norn built the Black Archives."

The door swung outward to reveal long rows of books and scrolls that led back well over a thousand yards back to a silver door set against the far wall. Tyr took a step forward, but Thor caught his arm before he could cross the threshold, "STOP! Do you not see what it is doing?!"

"It's a trap," Tyr was so mesmerized by the sheer wealth of information in the Vault antechamber alone he almost walked straight into it.

"If we are caught inside, caught with the key, or caught with books _stolen_ from the Vault, then the Valkyrie declare war on Asgard and _destroy_ the Great Library! In the chaos and bloodshed the Norn would be free to claim the Swords of Skuld, summon Laevateinn, and we _all_ fall!"

"They would only catch us inside if they were already _in_ this Vault. None but me or those I guide may enter."

"Unless the magic that protects this Library and this Archive decides you've overstepped your bounds! Crossing that threshold could set off security measures never before tested! You could be killed, trapped, or maimed and the Valkyrie would be brought in to claim you."

Tyr felt a shiver from the slip of paper. He pulled the stone back and slid it into his belt, then held up the paper and inspected it once again as the silver ink moved and re-formed, "My prince-"

Thor took the page and read aloud the new message:

_Prince Thor, there are easier ways to force a war with Asgard. The Library was built to gather information in one protected place. The unintended side effect is that it makes history easier to rewrite. Your materials have been gathered in the Lower Vault already, you just need to find them. I know you are no fool, child. Do as you are told, and I will aid your quest for Samantha Cidero. Ignore my generosity and you condemn her to a slow and painful death. Five hours, fifty-five minutes. Do not explore too thoroughly, the Vault is not only for books._

"What do you think?" Tyr studied Thor's face, "This does not change the risks."

"But it changes the ramifications." Thor knew what his younger self would do- he'd rush into the Vault without question. That man had been headstrong and stubborn, quick to anger and quicker to war. "My father would say- _has said_ \- that one Midgardian lost to save millions, even billions, is worth the sacrifice… But if I act in a way that ignites a war between us and the Valkyrie _and_ the Norn finds the Swords? Steven Rogers would never forgive abandoning Samantha, _I_ would never forgive abandoning Samantha, but how many others do I condemn in her place?"

Tyr took the paper back and slowly folded it, "I think the answer is obvious, my Prince. If you are found in the Vault, entire _Realms_ fall. If whatever the Norn left for you is not retrieved, Lady Samantha alone pays the price. To enter plays into the schemes of one monster, to refuse benefits another." Tyr shrugged, "However, if _I_ am found in the Vault, then _I_ alone pay the price. I will be disgraced and executed, labeled a traitor for using the Norn key, but it ends with me."

"You are one of the greatest warriors Asgard has ever known, I will not allow you to risk your legacy."

"If I do nothing and allow an innocent to die then I am not deserving of such a legacy." Tyr did not wait for Thor's response, "Prince Thor of Asgard, I thank you for your patronage and invite you to now _leave_ the Black Archives." The words were a spell workable only by the Chief Scribe. Thor was blasted back from him to the gates of the Archives and sealed behind them. If Tyr _was_ walking into a trap then there was no way for the Prince to take blame.

"Nearly six hours," Tyr spoke to himself as he crossed the threshold and made for the silver gate, "Why do I have a feeling this will end with me running for my life?"

The paper shivered again and Tyr held it up to read-

_Oh, it most certainly will_.

* * *

**Writer's Note:** Hello everyone! First off, thank you all for your interest in the story! I'm excited to share this one, "Valkyrie Wars" has been a pet project since before even "Project Echo" was written!

I wanted to let you all know that for the next week or so I won't be able to post as much (I'll try to keep a tab so I know how many chapters I owe you). In the Real-World I'm a Media Specialist, and I've got 4 12-hour shoots and a 10-hour with my usual film crew next week, so I'm going to be _super_ busy with that. I've got a few chapters in the pipeline so hopefully I can get away with posting a chapter every other day.

There's lots of exciting stuff coming up, and a lot of action-ie stuff will be happening soon! :D Enjoy!


	22. Chapter 21

** Chapter 21 **

"Doctor Gunvald? We were starting to worry about you."

"Oh, you're a 'Dead Man Walking' in about ten different ways, roomie." Clint held his bow over the microphone of the meeting room phone and plucked the string.

The line went silent long enough to make Natasha's temper flare, "Speak or I'll find you."

"Well, at least I know the doctor is safe." Coulson was resigned, "Listen, I wanted to tell you all face-to-face that I was alive-"

"It's been three years," Tony spat, "having trouble finding us? Are the two-story tall letters saying 'Avengers' on the side of the biggest skyscraper in New York too subtle?"

"I'm the Director of a terrorist organization, according to the United Nations. I can't really go out in the open, Phil Coulson is supposed to be dead."

"And yet Nick Fury was over for trivia night two weeks ago. Three years, your excuse only works for the last 8 months of that." Banner had made a rare trip from his lab to join in on the call, "You have a very low opinion of us, don't you? Not only is the Tower hard to find, now it's not even secure. Tony- we should really work on that."

"In all fairness, Loki _did_ just walk in here and grab Samantha with barely any resistance- no offense, Nat," Sam mumbled low enough that Coulson wouldn't hear, but he was still on the receiving end of several glowers.

Clint was perhaps the angriest of the entire group, "We roomed together for _four years_ in SHIELD academy and another _three_ as junior agents. You couldn't even drop a post card?"

Coulson sighed, "Give me 18 hours to wrap up a few missions, then I'd be happy to fly over to the Tower and explain myself."

"Should I have JARVIS send the GPS coordinates to help you?"

"Don't bother, either of you," Steve's voice was hard but he gave an apologetic nod to Stark, "we're only calling to verify Doctor Gunvald's story. She _might_ help in an active investigation and I don't trust some Hydra sympathizer."

"Gunvald is the _last_ person who would work for Hydra. She's loyal to the few patients of theirs she has, but I can personally guarantee she'd never work against SHIELD or the rest of you. I've gotten to know her pretty well over the years, she's a good person. Kind."

"What's her story?" Buck was unconvinced. Like Sam, he knew of Phil Coulson from only one or two stories, he didn't have any reason to trust him. Hell, even Steve had only been around him for a couple of days.

"Who's talking? I don't recognize the voice."

"The Winter Soldier," Bucky growled. To him Hydra and SHIELD were the same damn thing.

"James Buchanan Barnes," Steve clarified.

"So _you're_ Natasha's ghost." Coulson didn't sound surprised.

"He was recovered during Hydra's uprising and given full pardons," Banner spoke up. If anyone wanted Bucky dead, SHIELD would be at the top of that list.

"Good," Coulson was amiable, "you should know Mr. Barnes that Director Carter-"

"-Peggy," Bucky grumbled.

"-received intel in 1963 from an Agent inside the KGB suggesting you'd been recovered from the Siberia mission. She sent out squads of SHIELD's best to find you and bring you home. They called it her Great Delusion. She was forced to shut it down, put your name on the memorial for fallen agents, but I doubt she ever stopped looking. She'd be happy to know you're back."

"She _was_." It was Peggy who'd had a nurse call Steve after Bucky's first visit to her nursing home. He'd gravitated towards the Howling Commando's old handler even before he knew _why_. A week later the Avengers caught up with him on a return visit. She was the only person outside the Tower and Doctor Cho he talked to.

"Good," Coulson was happy to let the whole 'Winter Soldier = Cap's Long Lost Friend' thing go for now. He'd geek out fully later, "Kristen Gunvald was born Cynthia Schultz to Andy Schultz and Lilian Voss, but official records will peg her as a Jane Doe picked up in a police sweep of some abandoned warehouses in Portsmouth. DCS never got a name from her, she was three, so they shipped her out to a foster home. The caseworker gave her the name Kristen Gunvald. Said she got it from a baby name book."

"How do you know who her parents were?"

"When she started working with Andrew Garner, SHIELD vetted her. They managed to match her DNA to the remains of her parents found seven years after she was picked up by DCS. They were in a stretch of hiking trails a few miles from the warehouse. I doubt even she's aware. The couple was last seen on a Friday, Kristen was found the following Tuesday. No sign of foul play, most likely it was an accident.

"Any history of behavioral issues?" Natasha jotted down a note.

"A few months before Kristen was brought in by DCS a woman did an anonymous surrender at an area hospital. The nurse on duty says she was probably some crackhead. Anyways, the baby was assigned to the same caseworker who eventually took Kristen's file. They ended up in the same facility and after that they were farmed out as siblings. Any behavioral issues SHIELD turned up were generally instances where Kristen was protecting the kid, named Samantha Cross. They were both eventually adopted by the Cideros, Samantha chose to take their last name, and there were no further incidents."

Coulson could tell the Avengers were on-edge and he wished he could set them at ease, "Listen, long story short Kristen Gunvald is no friend of Hydra. She's a loyal doctor, a nice person, and highly skilled at what she does. The girl is only dangerous if her sister is threatened."

"Samantha Cidero was captured by Loki over 24-hours ago." Tony's addition gave Coulson pause.

"In that case let her loose, stay out of her way, and keep the stronger weapons out of her hands."

"Don't worry, we will."


	23. Chapter 22

** Chapter 22 **

Tyr felt like the walls themselves were alive and watched his descent into the Undervault. The silver door opened on a steep, winding staircase that never seemed to end. He could _feel_ the power in the walls pushing against him, he could _feel_ the key in his fist pushing back against it, and he knew the magics were kin. The Norn known as Skuld built the Black Archives, _she_ was the great sorcerer who'd secured them, and now she needed him to find something.

Occasionally he'd hear noises echo up from the depths of the Vault- sometimes the rustle of pages, sometimes a raven's _caw_ , sometimes screams of beings or creatures locked within. Tyr's blood ran cold at the thought that anyone could be inside with him, trapped somewhere in the darkness below.

Deep, deep in the earth the stairs finally ended. Torches cast a thin glow that vanished mere feet across the threshold. He hesitated and closed his eyes. The strange noises continued to echo, neither closer nor further than they had been since his entry. The air was still and dry, without so much as a whisper to indicate anything moved before him. His nose detected nothing but the ancient smells of ink, paper, and wood, familiar enough to the aged librarian. The Archive was void of life, at least here. He tucked the key into his belt and Tyr stepped into the darkness. He had but one hand, yet he was determined he _would_ die fighting, should the need arise.

Lights shot out from the doorway behind him and raced across the walls in intricate designs. As they shot down the length of the room their glow grew brighter and brighter, leaving Tyr to simply gape at the majesty of the Vault of the Valkyrie. The Undervault was _at least_ as large as the entirety of the Great Library above. Millions upon millions of bookshelves stretched to his left and stretched before him over miles of halls and aisles. A balcony to his right revealed several more layers leading down five more stories to a floor level holding entire _buildings_ lost to history. He saw Samantha's golden dome far off in the gloom- the Bifrost the Norn appeared to be killed defending in the Valkyrie War. The silver tomb was behind it featuring three statues with their faces veiled by a large tarp to keep away the dust- even through it he could see that the tomb had been rent into several pieces as though its inhabitants had blasted their way out. Racks upon racks of weapons fit to outfit more than simply the Valkyrie army, chariots, uniforms, treasures, and yes- even a few covered crates Tyr suspected were cages.

In a Realm of majesty and awe, the Vault of the Valkyrie was breathtakingly beautiful. It would take lifetimes on end to fully learn the contents, and who knew how deep it truly went?! Tyr was overwhelmed by the scope and grandeur, and even a bit guilty for depriving Thor the sight of it all. He stroked a bookcase and felt a thrill of magic from within- how long had it been since these tomes had been opened? What sort of knowledge did they hide? It called to him, whispered of lost histories and dark secrets just _begging_ to be learned. Tyr caught himself reaching out for a book and stepped back, shaking his head. He had a mission to attend to, an innocent girl's life depended on it.

The Undervault was impossibly large, and Tyr wasn't even sure what he saw over the balcony edge _was_ the bottom, but somehow, in all of this, he had to find whatever it was the Norn sent him after. Something hidden by Queen Frigga in a place where none could enter without her express permission and supervision. What was she so afraid of that she'd hide it somewhere already hidden and protected from the Realms?

Tyr went back to the balcony edge and looked out across the lowest (visible) level. The golden dome the Norn died to hold and the silver tomb they emerged from. Were both places too obvious? Who Frigga hid her secrets from was the key to locating them. If it was merely from those outside the Great Library, then her trove was quite possibly just around the corner, tucked safely away. If, however, it was from the Valkyrie themselves then even the two Norn-buildings were too obvious a destination for the High Commander of the Valkyrie. Who knew what all was within the Vault? Every secret compartment, hidden location- it could take thousands of years to find it and Tyr had merely- he glanced down to the page as the silver ink flashed- _five hours_.

He tucked the paper into his sleeve and fished out the key once again, "I wish you could show me what I needed to see."

"And what might that be, Scribe Tyr?" a woman's soft voice made him jump and spin. Tyr's heart hammered in his chest as he faced a young Valkyrie in a scarlet gown. She was completely unfamiliar to the old warrior, but her gray eyes seemed older, more ancient than her form let on. She did not seem surprised to see him in the Undervault, nor did she make a move towards the golden dagger belted at her hips. She waited patiently for his response with a polite smile on her ruby lips.

"Who are you? A guard?"

"The contents of this archive are too numerous for one person to navigate on their own. I was created to assist all who enter. I am, in a manner of speaking, the Librarian of the Archives, just as you are Chief Librarian of the Great Library."

Tyr looked down to the stone in his hand, "You are not concerned with my presence here, did this summon you?"

"None may enter the Undervault who are not meant to be here, such is the nature of the magic protecting it, therefore I have no reason to be concerned by your presence." The Valkyrie- or whatever it was- smiled pleasantly, "What is it you have come to seek? I know every page of every book within this space, I may help you find anything."

"First-" Tyr reached out as if to touch the woman. His hand passed straight through her and she showed no sign of discomfort or even acknowledgement of the motion. Confident now that he addressed a mirage, the Scribe cleared his throat, "Queen Frigga, the Valkyrie's High Commander, hid something here seventeen hundred years ago. I would claim it."

"I know what it is you seek," the Librarian wandered off down an aisle and Tyr was forced to follow, "High Commander Frigga sealed it away inside one of the sub-vaults."

"How long will it take to find?"

"That is up to you." There was a gap in the bookshelves and the Librarian stopped to look down at a silver plate in the floor. Tyr saw an indent in it the very size and shape of the key he held. He knelt and touched the key to the floor, revealing some sort of chute, "There is a dial near your hand that will raise a staircase for you. What you seek is just at the bottom. Queen Frigga had no need to hide anything too deeply within the Vault."

Tyr set the key to the side and reached into the chute. He could see the dial the ghostly Library spoke of. Just before he touched it something hard and heavy hit the back of his head, there was a flash of white light, blinding pain, and Tyr fell into the chasm. "Thank you, Lord Tyr, for bringing me so far," she raised her hand and the key lifted, then dropped down into the hole after him. "For your troubles, have a peek at what Frigga left for you," the mirage whipped its hand out and over the trapdoor. A silvery mist flowed from her and spun down after him.

The Norn walked away down the rows of stacks, "Now where did they hide my book…"

* * *

Frigga made her way carefully through the dense woods, well aware that she was being watched. The night sky overhead shone clear and bright in the winter chill, and the moon's light illuminated her path even through the branches overhead. They couldn't have chosen a more secluded and uninviting place to make their home… but that was hardly their fault. Exile was not supposed to be luxurious.

"Come, Commander. It is not much further," the image of a blindfolded woman appeared next to her. She wore her scarlet gown and golden sandals. The wind did nothing to chill an illusion. She led Frigga in silence between two trees towards a slab of dark stone speckled with crystals.

"I never noticed before how _young_ you appear. You seem but a child." Much had changed for Frigga since her last meeting with the Norn. She had children of her own now, and knowing the story of the Valkyrie Generals made her heart ache for them. They were ancient before she was even born, yet still they reminded her of her own sweet little Thor and his darling brother Loki.

"Do not be fooled by appearances," the Norn turned and smiled slightly to her. It was a forced expression, soured by millennia of loss and strain, "I am one of the youngest of the Norn, and still I have walked these Realms for more than twenty thousand years."

"I know well, Verdandi. I meant no disrespect."

Verdandi shrugged and placed her hand on the stone slab. It rippled and vanished- as did the mirage- leaving Frigga face-to-face with the _real_ woman, "Neither did I, Commander. I apologize, it has been a difficult few days. Please, follow me."

As strange as it was to see the legendary Valkyrie for the first time, Frigga entered the newly exposed cave and the wall of stone reappeared behind her. The entrance was smooth stone, polished to a glossy shine. Thick rugs and furs were draped across the room to keep in the warmth and provide a touch of homey atmosphere to the carved room. Stone couches piled with pillows lined the walls, but the seemingly blind Verdandi led the Queen of Asgard and leader of the Valkyrie deeper and deeper into the mountainside. They passed long halls and ornate doors crafted with magic beyond even Frigga's abilities.

"I thought you may be weary from your travels," Verdandi led her down a hall to a large, wood-paneled room filled with paintings and a single table laden with fruits and berries.

Frigga removed her cloak and hung it from a spike near the door, but she made no move to the tables. Instead, she inspected the paintings carefully, mesmerized by the scenes displayed upon them. Some were simple landscapes of such incredible detail Frigga felt that she was staring through a window onto the Field of the Fallen in Muspelheim or gazing directly upon the black gates of Hel's palace.

Others paintings showed faces- people important to the Norn in some way. None she could hope to name, many not even born yet, but one painting in particular drew her in. It was of two handsome men standing back-to-back and looking out at her. One had a full head of thick, blond hair, blue eyes bright with mirth, and a crooked grin that was half-smirk. His smile was mischievous, honest, and infectious. Frigga felt great joy and even pride gazing upon him. The man to his back was by contrast smaller, darker, and paler. He looked hungry, starved of something down to his very soul. The smile on his face made her think of a cat about to strike out at its master, yet there was love too, tenderness, caring. This man suffered, and would lead others to suffer in return, but he still wished to be kind, loved, respected.

"Two brothers, one destined for a life of glory, love, admiration… He will be a legend throughout all of the Realms for his heroism and bravery. The other," Verdandi's voice dipped low, "his future is undecided still. Darkness courts his soul, but it is not alone. His fate is one of the most complex we have seen."

"Thor and Loki," Frigga knew she was right the moment the words left her lips, "my sons."

Verdandi nodded, "There is more light in Loki's soul than shadow. Raise him with kindness and love, and he will be as great as his brother."

Frigga tore her eyes away from the faces of her boys and turned back to Verdandi, "It is at their behest I have come to you, General. You know this already though, do you not?"

"I do," Verdandi sat lightly upon a chair and Frigga came to sit beside her, "but there is far too much silence in this home. Please, speak as you would normally."

"The Third Jotun War is ended, yet the Valkyrie have heard whispers to suggest another great War is on the horizon." She glanced to Verdandi's face to read the woman's reaction.

"I see all that transpires in the present. I can tell you the Jotun are content to remain in isolation for now, but given time I do believe they will rise again. More than that though I cannot say. I do not have the gift of future-sight."

"Skuld has said nothing?" the Norn rarely spoke of the futures they saw, but Frigga was eager to know all she could.

Verdandi allowed her face to fall and her strain to show, "Skuld has stopped speaking to me. I fear she has not forgiven me for what was done to Urda."

"My predecessor was wrong to-"

"Urda slaughtered the Valkyrie under our care. She would have killed many more if left unchecked. We tried imprisoning her, we tried reasoning with her, and every magic known to the Realms was applied to break the hold of her madness. It could not be done. I sanctioned her execution and _requested_ the assignment to carry it out myself. Skuld has no one to blame for Urda's death but me, as I wished. Your predecessor gave the order, I'm the one who _chose_ to allow it."

"It has been more than ten _thousand_ years, two full lifetimes of my kind. I pray you find peace." Verdandi nodded, noncommittal to the Commander's words.

"Skuld's hatred is for me and me alone," Verdandi steadied herself and nodded to Frigga, "she will do nothing to harm your boys. You have my word. She is good still, despite what time has wrought upon her."

"Forgive me for being blunt, but Urda's madness-"

"Has not infected Skuld. I watch closely for it. Her animosity towards me is natural, well-founded, and rational." Verdandi smiled slightly, "You have a favor you've yet to ask. Do so knowing that I too believe it to be a good idea."

"There is no warrior in all the Realms more experienced than you, and no caster stronger than Skuld." Frigga looked back to the painting of Thor and Loki grown, "Train my sons, that is what I ask for. King Odin and I would be honored. You taught _him_ to fight in his youth, and your tutelage is what he credits above all else in winning the Jotun War. I wish the same wisdom for my own son. As for little Loki, he is merely twenty, yet he shows incredible magical aptitude. I may train him myself, but I read of the lessons Skuld used to hold for Valkyrie sorceresses, I believe there would be no better teacher for my sweet boy."

Verdandi smiled, "I have attempted to speak to Skuld on your behalf already. She does not acknowledge me, but she painted that herself afterwards and, if you look at the back-" Frigga stood and turned the painting.

_I would be honored, High Commander._

"The Realms believe us to be mere myths now, we have hidden our presence for so long. I admit, I enjoy the mystery of it all… But I think it is time for us to step out once again. If you would allow, Queen Frigga, I believe it would be a breath of fresh air to train the boys in Asgard, not in these dim halls, as I did King Odin and his companions."

Frigga's smile was bright and warm, "Of course, General Verdandi! The Norn legend was soured by the events leading to the death of poor Urda, but you will raise their name to greatness once again."

Frigga and Verdandi spoke well into the night of bygone battles and fallen friends. With the General at last bade her Commander farewell at the cavern entrance, it was with the promise that she would arrive with Skuld on Asgard within a fortnight.

"I told you things would soon improve for us, Skuld." Verdandi turned and smiled to a shadowed figure lurking in the hallway, "You will train Prince Loki to be a great caster, and I shall train Prince Thor in war-craft, as I did his father. For the first time since we awoke, the Realms will know they've no cause to fear the Norn."

A canvas came flying out of the darkness and clattered to the floor at Verdandi's feet. It was a painting of her, lying on the floor of a dark chamber with Skuld's sword embedded in her stomach. Her mouth was open in a surprised gasp, her hair loose and in disarray around her. Skuld's outline was over her with the second of her swords belted at her hip and Verdandi's scythe in her hand.

"The cure to my madness will not be found in Asgard, as you pray," Skuld spoke to her sister for the first time in ten thousand years, "rather, it will be found as I smile over your bloodied body." She did not sound happy, proud, or even angry. Her voice was incredibly sad, "I can only beg your forgiveness for what fate will have me do."

* * *

_"Skuld! Stop! I will not let you harm them!"_ The image twisted and changed. It was the halls of the royal palace in Asgard, the chambers of the princes themselves.

Two women stood in opposition, but only one was armed with twin blades- one in her belt, one in her hand. Verdandi had a cloth wrapped over her eyes in place of her helm and carried a large silver scythe with veins of gold running through the blade as though it had been broken and re-forged with the metal, "You cannot stop me! It must be done!" Skuld was desperate and afraid.

Verdandi hesitated, then waved her hand and a golden pillar of light appeared before the doors to Thor and Loki's rooms, "Even if I die now, you will _never_ harm those boys!" Her words carried with them a weight and authority few in the Realms could muster. They bound Skuld, compelled every last part of her being, and sealed the safety and lives of the Princes. Now, with the spell, Loki and Thor could not be touched, "I forgive you for what comes next."

Her curse complete, Verdandi closed her eyes and held her hands out to the sides. She would not use the scythe against her only kin. Skuld roared in rage and frustration and struck out with her blade. She expected Verdandi to swing the scythe at the last moment, something she had done many times in battle. Skuld wrenched the scythe from her hand as the blade slid into Verdandi's stomach.

From the sword there was an explosion of light and the roar of a thousand screams as Verdandi fell. Skuld backed away, horrified, the Reaper's Scythe in hand. She never expected her strike to land, she never expected her sister to surrender her weapon. There was the clatter of armor from the halls- Tyr ran around the corner. Instinctively Skuld whipped up the guise of a guard as she stared down at her sister's pale form, though contrary to the vision she'd had there was no mirth, no happiness, and no smile on her lips- only tears in her eyes as she stumbled back away from the men who surrounded Verdandi's body. One pulled out her crest, the symbol of the Norn. It was a tradition of the ancient Valkyrie order, one long lost, that the body of the fallen could be returned to her kin. He recognized in it only the evil myth that was born in Urda's slaughter of the young Valkyrie in the Fortress of Fate. A dark omen. A cursed sigil.

"Assassin in the royal chambers!" Tyr shouted out immediately, bringing more warriors upon them in seconds.

When he looked back to speak with the guard who'd clearly saved both Princes from disaster, Skuld was long gone.


	24. Chapter 23

** Chapter 23 **

"Samantha?" the voice fell of deaf ears, "Samantha~ _Wake up, child_."

She felt the wave of adrenaline that preceded the agony and instinctively balled up against what was coming. For what felt like an eternity, she'd been in her cell screaming as flames consumed her body, only to open her sore eyes once the agony abated and realize she was still whole. She fought against herself now and the Pavlovian cries that tried to tear free from her.

"It's alright. I've made it stop." A gentle hand under her chin prompted Samantha to roll over. Hands helped lift her into a seated position, "look at this, you've made a mess of yourself. Let me help," Loki's voice was soft, even kind. With a wave of his hand the sweat, vomit, and even blood from a night spent tearing at her own skin vanished. "There, isn't that better? More dignified?" He pulled lightly on Samantha's chin and, once her dry lips parted, poured cold, sweet water down her throat in a slow trickle, "You may drink your fill."

Loki was patient as her hand covered his and she slowly took the bottle of water from him, "Do you see, darling Samantha? I am not unreasonable."

"I can't tell you where the weapon is," Samantha panted weakly. Her throat burned from the screaming and it came out as a rasp.

"I believe _you_ believe as much. Those words come neither from defiance nor bravery, but truth. Yet I also believe that you do not even know how much you remember."

She laughed softly, "Then dig around in my head and see for yourself, wasn't that what you did with the tesseract and Doctor Selvig? You used your staff to hijack his mind and make him help you?"

"Controlling someone in that manner and extracting memories are very different. Besides, I do not have my scepter anymore." Loki smiled sadly, "You are not ready to listen just yet, are you?"

"Go to hell." Samantha felt herself trembling as she defied Loki. She'd been water-boarded for hours on end, left to scream and writhe on a cell floor overnight, all for refusing his wishes thus far.

_You don't have to sound, look, or even feel brave, you just have to_ be _brave_. Samantha knew the voice was her own, but she could imagine Steve saying the words to her and that brought more comfort than anything.

"Alright, but I want you to know the rules before we proceed." Loki stood, "I cast a spell on you that made every nerve in your body _burn_ for five minutes, every fifteen minutes for six hours. Now, I will make it continuous for a mere four hours, yet every fifteen minutes, for five minutes, it will be ten times worse." He bent down to stroke a lock of hair back from Samantha's face as she paled and gently cupped her cheek, "When I come back, I will give you a moment to collect yourself and ask again. You do not need to give me the exact location, simply focus and try to remember what pieces you can. If you do, you may return to your fifteen minutes of peace. If you refuse, your punishment will be more severe. Do you understand?"

Samantha didn't reply, but Loki did not expect her to. He tapped her cheek with his index finger and stepped back, releasing her. As he turned to leave the cell he raised his hand and snapped his fingers. Samantha's screams were instantaneous and echoed in the small cell. Loki smiled over the roaring of her agony, raised the shield on her cell, and a moment later the screams were cut off as the barrier engaged. His Hydra guards showed no emotion, no sympathy for the girl's plight. Just as well, if they had Loki would have snapped their necks without a second thought.

"What do you think of my methods?"

"Our job is to ensure the prisoner does not escape or commit suicide. That is all we were instructed to think about."

Loki's grin was wolfish, "You are a credit to your species." he glanced to the other for a response to his question.

"If I may suggest something?" the other guard had a cruel spark in his eye.

"You may."

"You have the ability to change your appearance, right?"

"I do."

He shrugged, "She might be more cooperative to or for her fuck-buddy." Loki raised an eyebrow, "Captain America."

"Oh, that's _wicked_ ," he didn't understand all Earth slang, but the explanation helped, "I think you're my new favorite."

* * *

At some point, while the Avengers argued over how far to trust Dr. Kristen Gunvald, Bucky wandered off. Their decision wouldn't change how he approached handling her, and his half-finished memory was still eating away at his mind. Over and over again he replayed killing the SHIELD agents, walking down the hallway, and opening the closet door to find-

Maybe something. Maybe nothing.

Add to that the fact that he'd never finished processing the Ryker kid's murder and it was a recipe for sleepless nights even _before_ adding Samantha's abduction to the heap.

Bucky found himself in Tony's lab before he was really committed to going anywhere in particular. He wanted to be alone to think, to figure out how to at least save Steve's girlfriend, kill Thor's brother, and plant himself firmly between some kind of zombie-Valkyrie-sociopath hybrid and her oversized carving knives.

"What are you doing in here?" Natasha's soft voice lifted some of the weight from Bucky's hunched shoulders, it always did.

"I'm going to the library to see what I can find on these 'Norn'," he quickly rotated his metal arm and began to press hidden levers and switches to release it, "JARVIS, tell Tony I need this when I need it, it's his until then." He set it down carefully on Tony's workbench and turned, mindful now that his center of gravity was totally skewed. It always felt strange- the arm was gone, but a part of him could swear it was still there. He stared at his human hand a moment, willing his other to join it.

Natasha's hands took his and she gently traced his palm, "There's nothing any of us could have done differently. You need to stop beating yourself up."

"Loki walked in here like he owned the damn place. _Every_ Avenger on high-alert, the 'Earth's Mightiest Heroes', and only one puts up any resistance." He pulled away from her hands to rest his on her shoulder, "Nat, we couldn't even stop this guy in our own home. He steamrolled us."

"We've got some egg on our faces, yeah."

"Not all of us," Bucky offered a halfhearted smile, "you gave him something to think about. I just yelled at him and dropped like a sack of bricks."

"The first time we all got together, around the first time I saw Loki actually, Banner Hulked-out on me. All I could do was run for my life. While Coulson died, while Loki got away, I was shivering against a wall scared out of my mind."

Bucky snorted, "What? They didn't teach you how to fight a giant green immortal ballistic missile with rage issues in the Red Room? Sloppy."

"Yeah, it was week two, but I didn't pay much attention," Natasha smiled and rested her cheek on Bucky's hand a moment, "the point is, Barnes, we all have moments we regret. I can't make you feel better about Loki taking Samantha- we all dropped the ball with that one in different ways- but you have to take that and put it behind you. Chalk it up to youthful stupidity. You're older now, wiser." She winked.

"So how do we make sure the same thing doesn't happen with the sister?" Bucky dropped his hand and sighed, "Either she's Hydra, and we screw ourselves down the road by letting her out of that cage; or she's exactly who and what she says she is and keeping her in there loses us that weapon, Samantha, and maybe even the whole damn fight."

"It's possible," Natasha agreed. "But we both know how to handle a double-cross in our sleep."

"How much do you think we should be trusting this 'Coulson' guy?"

Natasha growled slightly, "I _used_ to trust him with my life. He and Clint were my best friends in SHIELD. I didn't think he had it in him to lie to me like that, to let me think he was dead… He's a dick, but he's an honest one. If he says Gunvald is clean she's either a better liar than I am or she's totally legit. Not many people are capable of pulling one over on Phil Coulson, no matter how easy he looks."

"Well, at least we know we're on the same page about finding Samantha. We just have to make sure she doesn't get her hands on the Norn weapon. Just in case she decides to turn it over."

"Don't plant yourself in her way," Natasha advised, "you could be her target just as easy as that thing."

Bucky took Natasha's hand in his and led her from Tony's lab towards the library, "Asgardians, Valkyrie, Norn, Avengers, Loki, and Hydra. There are too many people making plays on this weapon. We have one and the Norn has one… We need to thin the playing field a bit."

"The Valkyrie are probably allied with the Asgardians, Loki with Hydra, and then there's the Norn and us on our own. Four teams, three weapons. Are you thinking we should be allying with someone?"

"That would be nice," Bucky shrugged, "but the only ones we _can_ ally with are the Valkyrie and Asgardian forces and… I don't know Nat, something's not right there."

"What do you mean?" she was puzzled.

He couldn't quite find the words to describe what he'd felt from Odin, "Thor's dad… He's nothing like anyone described. The read I got on him was hostile at best, defensive, and downright _dark_. I don't think he's a good guy."

Natasha considered their predicament and simply shrugged, "There's not much we can do right now. You focus on Odin, I'll worry about Gunvald."

"Thank you," Bucky glanced around for the other Avengers before leaning in for a slow, sweet kiss, "for everything, but right now for keeping me sane."

"It's my pleasure. Now, come on, we've got someone to save."

* * *

"What the hell are you doing now?" Sam shut down the energy barrier holding Kristen in and leaned against the wall.

She was sitting with her knees up to her chest, her head down, and her hands tightly clasped. Her forehead rested on her wrists and he thought he heard a sound- a murmur? Something higher pitched and irregular. When Kristen looked up though it was with puffy red eyes that still ran bright with tears. She looked away, embarrassed, and wiped at her eyes.

"Oh, were you- you were praying?" he was embarrassed suddenly and straightened up, "I'm sorry I didn't think-"

"What? You didn't think what?" she asked. Her voice was shaking slightly, but the fierceness was still there, "You didn't think I would worry about Samantha? You didn't think I had the _ability_ to worry about Samantha?"

"No I-" Sam didn't have an answer for her, "I was just surprised, that's all. I thought you'd still be pissed about everything."

"Well I'm not. If it's okay with you, I'll keep going between 'pissed' and utterly terrified at the thought of what Loki is doing to my sister right now, or what he will do before she's found." Kristen's voice broke slightly and she turned her back on Sam to wipe away fresh tears.

"Look, I'm sorry, alright? Coulson vouched for you, JARVIS backed up what he told us. I'm here to bring you upstairs so you can tell us what you know about where Samantha might have hidden the weapon."

Kristen almost laughed, "There it is… I don't know what scares me more- knowing Loki is torturing my baby sister as we speak, or-" she shuddered and wiped at her cheeks again, "-or the thought that you might be willing to sacrifice her to get and keep that _thing_."

"That's not going to happen, I swear to you _on my life_. No matter what it takes, we'll do everything we can to get her back safe and sound."

"I'll believe it when I see it." Kristen stood up and ran a hand through her long hair, "I narrowed the search area down to ten possible locations based on the call I got from Sammy when she hid the weapon. I give you one location at a time, _we_ check it out, then move on if we don't find it. That's how it's going to work on my end."

Sam nodded, "Fair. On our end it'll be Natasha, Bucky, and myself as well as Thor, once he's back from the Realms. There's some kind of link between these weapons, we might need Mjolnir to find the Swords."

" _Thor's hammer_ is one of these weapons?" Sam nodded and Kristen snorted, "Why am I not even surprised? What else should I know?"

"There's an undead Valkyrie warlord looking for the Swords too."

Kristen frowned, "Give me specifics, _lots_ of specifics."

"Alright. Just- notice how I'm trusting you and try to reciprocate, alright?" Kristen rolled her eyes and nodded, "OK, so everything we know... This will take about as long as the walk to the elevator."


	25. Chapter 24

** Chapter 24 **

"Thor! What are you doing here? Your duty is to attend to the safety of the Black Archives until the Valkyrie conclave ends. Why did you summon me?!" Odin obeyed Thor's call without his usual retinue of guards. His son was pacing before the gates of the Black Archives and biting at his thumbnail like a child.

"Father, Tyr has entered the Vault of the Valkyrie." Thor said, fearful, "I could not stop him."

"What? How is that possible?"

"Nearly six hours ago the Norn slipped a message through the Archive's wards and delivered a key to the Vault itse4lf. Lord Tyr expelled me, but I know he meant to enter and I have been unable to contact him."

Odin nodded to the gates, "So test the barrier. If it holds, the Library's protections do not consider this an overreach of his authority. If he is sealed in the Vault then you alone will be permitted to enter until the Valkyrie High Commander is named." Loki didn't have time for Thor's nonsense, he wanted to be on-hand for the end of his curse on Samantha.

"Do you not think I have been _trying_ that?"

"Careful, _boy_ , mind your tone." Odin warned, "Tell me at least _why_ Tyr entered the Vault, did the Norn send some sort of message?"

"It appears my mother hid something within the Vault that the Norn think we should have, but I know not what. ' _Odin and Frigga tried to bury our history'_ , that is all their message read… Father, I must ask- did you know the Norn?"

"I did not."

"Answer truthfully, I beg of you father. I cannot be ignorant of these beasts' plans, not with all that hangs in the balance. What did you have mother hide?"

"As I said, I hid nothing." Odin snapped.

"And as _your_ boy said, King Odin, answer truthfully." Thor whipped around to face the gates as Tyr stormed out of the Archives with a large crate slung over his shoulder. He dropped it heavily to the ground and paused to catch his breath. Sweat covered the old Librarian. He looked as though he'd had a rough time of it in the Undervault.

Odin's interest in his cargo was not enough to make him ignore Tyr's impudence, " _How dare you_?!"

"When I entered the Undervault, a Norn entered with me," Tyr snapped and straightened up. "It struck me over the head, threw me down a pit, and showed me a vision of the past. Queen Frigga _hiring_ the Norn known as Verdandi and Skuld to train _your sons, just as they trained you_." The challenge in his eyes was magnified by Tyr's own anger and frustrations, "When we were boys, first learning the crafts of war, you were taken away with a handful of companions to train from a secret master. I know now that was Verdandi. For thirty years you lived in the Norn compound. I remember Queen Frigga telling all of us that you'd hired special tutors for your boys- tutors who lived in the royal palace for ten years unseen and unheard. Why did you not tell us you knew the Norn? That the assassin we found in Thor and Loki's chambers was Verdandi herself?!"

" _WHAT_?!" Thor too rounded on Odin, "FATHER, IS THIS TRUE?!"

"I don't know!" Odin snapped, then sagged back from the men staring him down, "Those memories were stolen from me long ago! The Norn covered their tracks well…" It was a thin excuse, but Loki truly knew nothing of this. Their father spoke sparingly of his old tutor with a mixture of fear and admiration, but he never said who they were.

Tyr looked next to Thor, "We have kept word of the Norn to a select few, but I think it is time Heimdall is brought in on our search. He was among your father's companions, and I suspect he and Verdandi were quite close."

"Why do you say that?" Thor was more than happy to include the keeper of the Bifrost, but Tyr's words worried him.

"Verdandi's power was to see all that transpired in the present, she said as much herself. Think on it- there is only one other person in all the Realms with such a gift. We thought it was bestowed upon him as keeper of the Bifrost, but seeing as we've been so wrong on everything up to this point-"

"If Heimdall knew Verdandi, he could shed light on this mystery. If she is truly an ally, then it is one we sorely need."

Tyr sighed, "Unfortunately, I fear it is Skuld we are fighting, and she is another beast entirely." He relayed his second vision to Odin and Thor in its entirety, though Odin should not have been surprised to hear it. Tyr wasn't sure he believed the King when he claimed his memories were stolen. He was beginning to look at Odin in a new light, one that didn't exactly believe the man before him was, in fact, his old commander.

"And your cache? Will it aid us in this fight?" King Odin eyed the crate Tyr had lugged up from the Undervault.

Tyr looked from Thor to King Odin a few times, deciding his next move. Before he could answer though, there was a roar from the soldiers surrounding the Great Library and the main doors were thrown open.

A horde of Valkyrie soldiers, all dressed in ceremonial armor and navy regalia, entered, swords drawn. The Valkyrie entered in two long columns that fanned to either side of the main hall leading from the door to the Black Archives. Tyr raised an eyebrow and glanced to Thor- the new High Commander had been chosen. Now he knew what the note from the Norn was counting down to. He had to be out of the Undervault within six hours because _this_ was coming.

Odin waited patiently for the column to reach the gates of the Black Archive and for the Valkyrie to raise their blades over their hearts. Once they'd completed the gesture, the High Commander entered, and for all of his scheming, Loki was not unsurprised to see Wynd walking down the corridor, flanked by her Generals. He smiled and nodded to her as she approached, "Hail, High Commander Wynd."

"Hail, Allfather Odin." Wynd smiled at the three men, "Hail, Prince Thor, Librarian Tyr."

"High Commander," Tyr nodded, highly cognizant of the stolen crate that was sitting in the open. If Wynd so much as suspected what was inside, the three would be slaughtered. Tyr was banking on Valkyrie ignorance though- the Undervault had never been invaded before, why would they suspect it now?

"I wish for you all to know that I am grateful for your support. Lord Tyr, the Treaty of Vanaheim is the property of the Great Library. I will write a letter to the next Chief Scribe making it official. Our old argument can finally die."

"What old argument, the Treaty's always belonged to us." Tyr grumbled under his breath.

"Prince Thor, I wish to assure you that my first act as High Commander was to declare open war on the Norn. Their weapons will be collected and they will be put to death once and for all. I go now to the Undervault to collect all information the Valkyrie possess on their old foes, I shall share all I may find." Wynd glanced to the crate, unconcerned, "You have been doing some light reading, I presume?"

Thor nodded first to Wynd, then Tyr, "While we awaited news of your election to High Commander I had Librarian Tyr collect any materials that may help me find where my brother is hiding on Midgard. In these difficult times I cannot be gone from the Avengers for too long, so I must take the research back with me. I was just asking my father if he might supply me with the means to grant my allies on Midgard Allspeak, that they may assist me in this endeavor."

Odin's expression soured, "I will not give Realm technology to Midgardians. I deny your request."

"Forgive me, Allfather, but if I may-" Wynd snapped her fingers and one of her Generals stepped forward and removed a small pouch from her belt. She handed it to her mistress and returned to her place in line, "These are to be returned to the Valkyrie at the end of this hunt for the Norn. Prince Thor, I agree with you, the Midgardians must be prepared, for I fear this war will take place mostly on their soil. To that end, your allies should be unhindered by petty concerns such as language. Ten rings are in this pouch which will allow your allies the ability to read our languages. Take it, take your research, and hasten back to Midgard. The Norn weapons _must_ be collected as quickly as possible, and it seems very likely we shall have to wrest at least one from the hands of our foe directly."

"Thank you, Commander Wynd," Thor accepted the small pouch with his heart hammering so loud he feared every Valkyrie might hear it.

"Lord Tyr, if you would-" High Commander or no, Wynd still needed Tyr in order to enter the Black Archives (since apparently security had no problem with his _withdrawal_ from the Vault of the Valkyrie).

Tyr nodded to Wynd and shot Thor a quick glance, "My Prince, I suggest you and your friends begin searching those books for answers. I shall send a full written account of my personal experiences through Heimdall later."

"Thank you." Thor pinched his father's elbow as he went to pick up the crate. King Odin was glaring at Wynd with a ferocity that may lead to suspicion, "Father, will you accompany me to Heimdall?"

"No, son," Odin snapped out of his anger and turned away from Thor entirely. Time was running out on his spell on Samantha, and Loki had many things to do before he was ready to speak to her again, _especially_ considering that idiot Thor and his _Avengers_ would have access to whatever his mother hid, "I will conduct an investigation of my own here. Inform me of _anything_ you find, especially if you manage to locate your brother."

"I will, father," it was an easy promise to make. No matter how strangely Odin may act, Thor knew he had an ally in his father. If anyone wanted to see Loki brought to justice for his crimes, it was the King.

Loki did not wait for Thor's answer. His future had suddenly become unsure, and he needed to shore up his position, _fast_. He did not have the necessary access to the _real_ Odin to get the information he needed in any kind of expedient manner. If he got ahold of the Swords of Skuld, Loki could simply _touch_ Mjolnir and he would be able to summon the Reaper's Scythe. With all three weapons, he would have an army none could oppose and _finally_ reveal to the Realms that it was Loki, not Odin, who'd been leading them since the Dark Elf fiasco.

The key to all of it was Samantha, and Loki knew just how to break her.

* * *

"Heimdall! I must speak with you!" Thor called ahead as he pulled his ship in close to the Bifrost. The keeper immediately appeared at his side and helped Thor lift the heavy crate from within.

"My prince?" Thor led him back into the Bifrost and glanced to the entry. Heimdall held up a hand to silence him before he could speak and unsheathed his golden blade. He went to the center of the room and pierced the pedestal, but did not activate the great bridge between the Realms. The dome around them rotated in anticipation of such an action, sealing the doorway, "We have complete privacy."

"What do you know of the Norn?" Thor expected a look of shock, defensiveness, surprise, _something_. The Keeper of the Bifrost did what he _least_ anticipated- he smiled.

"Verdandi was the greatest tutor any could wish for. Kind, patient, and wise beyond anything I have ever seen."

At this point, knowing Tyr's vision, it was not something that should have surprised Thor, but it _did_ frustrate him, "Samantha was brought here because she found the Swords of Skuld and the witch possessed her in some way. Now Loki has her and he will torture her to find out where she hid the Swords, something she herself has no knowledge of. I need to know everything you do about the Norn, Skuld, and these blasted weapons!"

"Patience, young prince," Heimdall's surprise was evident on his face, "if you would have answers, seek out Verdandi herself."

"Verdandi is dead- killed by Skuld in my chambers when I was an infant."

"Verdandi was cut down, true, but she did not die." Heimdall hesitated, then pulled an amulet from around his neck. In its center was a smooth gray stone. He forced the stone from the casing and held it out to Thor, "Before she'd recovered, Verdandi fled to Midgard to hunt Skuld down. I have heard and seen nothing of her in more than 1800 years, but she told me once that I would give this to someone who needed to find her most of all. If she yet lives, this will lead you to her."

Thor hesitated before accepting the stone. Two Norn. One evil, one good. _But if insanity runs in their veins, Verdandi may now be as much of a threat as Skuld_.

"Take it," Heimdall prompted, "Skuld's madness makes Loki's darkest impulses appear tame, kind even. If Skuld seeks to reunite the weapons and unleash the forces they hold at bay, you will need to ally yourselves with Verdandi as quickly as possible, or all will be lost."

_Good, Heimdall_. The old voice echoed in the Bifrost Master's mind as Thor took the stone from him. Heimdall fought the control with every fiber of his being, but that was like a child facing down a tsunamis. He had no hope of breaking free of the Norn's control. _That should keep them occupied long enough for the_ right _hands to claim the Swords_.


	26. Chapter 25

** Chapter 25 **

Sidhe marched through the Twilight City with an entire unit at her back. Around them buildings burned, people screamed, and swords clashed- but she ignored all. The damned Realm brought it upon themselves when they resisted providing the Valkyrie their tribute of flesh. The people threatened her power and her sovereign command over her fledgling order, and it was only right that an example be made.

For the Valkyrie, the Dark Commander foresaw a mighty future. They would no longer be content with acting as a simple peacekeeping force, they would unite and command the Nine Realms themselves. Kings and Queens would give up their people not as some simple draft, but as tribute to their leaders. Without obedience the Valkyrie Empire would fail. From this point on if any Realm thought again to dismiss the Valkyrie summons as they would some guard beast, then they could look to Nornheim and see what cost disobedience came at.

Well, it would be the _ruins_ they saw.

Before the eradication was completed there were two things Sidhe had to see to personally: The retrieval of the girls, and once the last citizen fell she would give the signal for the Valkyrie to turn on the Norn among them. Those tainted with the caustic blood of the arrogant Race would fall at their sister's blades, and their remains would be left to rot amongst the accursed people who bore them into existence.

But before Sidhe could give the sign to decimate her own ranks, she needed to capture the High Priests of the Iccari, guardians of the children said to possess incredible power.

"Stop." The Valkyrie and four of her best enforcers halted in a large open plaza surrounded by tall stone buildings. Flames spilled from most windows and the incredible heat tested the limits of all Races within their company. Before them was a narrow alley between what was once some sort of embassy. The group waited in silence for several minutes as the other half of their ranks, split off long ago, shepherded their quarry to them.

A family turned down the narrow alley, desperate to escape the Valkyrie troop upon their heels. Three men, their wives, and nearly a dozen brats. They skid to a stop at the sight of Sidhe and the realization that dawned upon them was almost comical- they'd fallen into a trap.

"Please, we are simple tradesmen. I make roof tiles for the harbor district, my brothers work in the public gardens, our wives are seamstresses and bakers!" The oldest of the men stepped forward, "Please your- your grace, we are simple folk! We can serve you and the Valkyrie, please!" tears fell from his eyes and traces paths through the soot on his face, "Let my family live, we are not your enemies!"

Sidhe smiled kindly, "I believe you. The people of Nornheim are peaceful, mighty, and good-natured. Those who work in the low city doubly so. Yet I am setting an example here, and in ten thousand years the Realms will whisper still of the penalty of disobeying their rulers. As common people, you chose to obey your King, so his folly is yours as well. What sends a greater message, serves as a greater reminder, than genocide?"

The men and women behind the man pulled their gaggle of kids closer, "You're a monster!" One of the women spat as she cradled two small boys.

"Oh no, I think we all know who the _true_ monsters are." She eyed the children with something akin to hunger.

"Leave my children be!"

"When our enforcers first arrived in Nornheim to collect our tribute, they heard whispers of your experiments. Manipulating unborn children to give them what they might need to combat genetic abnormalities? It had unforeseen results though, did it not?" Sidhe's smile melted and she looked back to the leader of the group, "Turn over the girls now and you may die quickly."

The man opened his mouth to argue and Sidhe raised her hand. Her soldiers at the back of the group struck. They sliced into every man, woman, and male-child before them. The crying, screaming girls- five in all- were dragged into a line before the High Commander.

"Where are you, I wonder?" Sidhe came to inspect the line, "My soldiers followed your handlers from the temple itself, I know you are here…" The children were all in infancy, the oldest but 32, the youngest perhaps 5, barely old enough to walk on her own. The Dark Commander bent down and stared into each of their eyes, "Our reports say there were three little monsters crafted by the Norn scientists, accidents of experimental gene therapy. A mixture of Norn blood and a selection of traits from an unknown beast- a Nidhogg, I would guess. Such a creature would be bloodthirsty, an unparalleled warrior, and could craft such magics as our most powerful sorcerers can only dream of."

She stopped before the last and smallest child. The girl clutched some strange doll- Asgardian perhaps, but it wore close-fitting armor, a flat helm, and had stitched to its hand a shield but no sword to go with it, "What might this thing be?"

"It's hers!" the girl beside her wasn't much older, but she was fearless. Her pale eyes flashed with a brave defiance.

Sidhe smiled, then slapped the girl across the face hard enough to make her stumble into the child next to her, "I did not ask you."

The infant looked to the older girl, scared. She squeezed the doll tighter and tried to make herself look bigger, scarier, "He is mine!"

"Your what? It is no toy soldier."

"My emeny!"

Sidhe had to laugh at that, "I have a plant in my chambers older than you, little one. You are far too young. How can you have an _enemy_?"

"I had a scary-mare-"

"Skuld, quiet!" the older girl hissed to silence her.

Sidhe unsheathed her dagger and held it up to the child's throat, "Proceed."

"H-he's gonna come to kill me."

"He _will_?" Sidhe's eyes practically glowed, "I thought it was an exaggeration… Tell me, can you see the future, child?"

"Don't say anything!" the brat prompted.

Sidhe sighed and raised her blade to rest the point a hair's breath from the girl's eye, "Keep speaking and I will blind you, happily."

"No, you won't." the eldest girl spoke softly. She was neither angry nor frightened. This one was resigned to what happened around them, "Verdandi, don't make this worse."

"I don't know," little Skuld answered, terrified that the evil woman would hurt her sister, "I was scared, so Ur-Ur made him for me." She held his little arm with the round shield out as if it were protecting her, "If he keeps me safe, he doesn't scare me, never ever again!"

"And what's his name?" Sidhe knew she'd found the three creatures cooked up by Nornheim's scientists.

"Steebe. It's gonna be Steebe."

* * *

"HOLY SHIT! Nope, sorry. I tried, I can't even pretend to be surprised at this point." Sam closed Sidhe's journal and rubbed his eyes. He glanced in the trunk and rooted around until he found a small box the length of his forearm. Sam slid the lid back and made a face, "Aaw, guys, look-" he held the leather doll up for Nat, Bucky, Thor, and Kristen to see, "Steebe!"

"Well that's disturbing." Bucky made a face at the vaguely humanoid doll, "What the fuck is it?"

Sam held up his book, "According to the journal of Sidhe, Dark Commander of the Valkyrie and recruiter of the Norn- Skuld had a 'scary-mare' as a wee little six-year-old about widdle Steebe here coming to kill her. Ur-Ur, I'm betting that means Urda, made this handsome devil so she could pretend he was protecting her. The doll, not the lifesize human replica." He frowned, "But this looks like something a seven year old would make, not a 32 year old, which is where Sidhe put Urda's age."

"People of the Realms, for the most part, live longer than Midgardians. Naturally they mature slower too. According to Tyr I was merely thirty when my mother brought the Norn to tutor me. In Midgardian time that would be the equivalent of-" he frowned, "in terms of aptitude, perhaps ten, but in terms of maturity only two or three."

"You look like your in your thirty's now, what's that equal?" Sam was interested.

"I am nearly 1,900 years old." Thor considered it, "With Asgaridan lifespans compared to Midgardian… Twenty."

"My god, and we've been letting you drink grown-up juice!"

Natasha had to laugh at that, "Find out anything else?"

"Other than the frankly adorable fact that our Boogeyman's _boogeyman_ was Steve? The Realm the Valkyrie burned was Nornheim, so that explains the whole 'Norn' thing. I assumed it was a last name, but they're literally _the_ Norn, the only ones left in the galaxy. Sounds like they were doing DNA splicing to treat genetic disorders and accidentally ended up giving the girls superpowers. Oh, and I'm not there yet, but I've got a feeling I know how Verdandi ended up blind," he mimed stabbing out eyes- or he watched "Psycho" recently.

"No you don't," Kristen had a bunch of single page files in her lap, "Verdandi's not blind."

Bucky wasn't a fan of having Kristen in the Quin-Jet, and he _really_ didn't like her getting her own stack of intel to go through as they made their way to the first stop on her list, "The woman wears a blindfold every time someone sees her and her helm has no eye slits. What makes you think she _isn't_ blind?"

"I have her uniform order- thank _God_ someone confiscated this, it's really sensitive information- her bust and hip size, " Kristen rolled her eyes, "Under 'Helm', in the part marked 'Special Considerations', it notes that- 'While Verdandi is capable of traditional sight, her inherent abilities make normal vision unnecessary in battle. The General therefore requests a special visor that her eyes may be protected at all times, lest they be damaged and interfere with normal vision.'" She flipped through some papers to one near the back, "According to this one, Verdandi could see anything happening in the present anywhere through anyone's eyes. When the Valkyrie finally figured that out they had her trained with the blindfold so she would fight seeing through only her enemy's eyes."

"It's a good strategy," Bucky was forced to admit, "You'd know where they were focusing, see openings you were leaving… It makes sense."

"Somehow she passed her gift on to Heimdall as well."

"So Verdandi could be anyone," Natasha sighed. 'Blind' didn't give them much, but taking it out of the equation put the pool of potential 'Verdandi's' at around 3.5 billion.

"Can I see that?" Sam handed the doll to Kristen. She took it gingerly, aware of its incredible age (Nearly 30,000 years old, though it felt almost new). Sam watched her fingers trace the seams gently. She seemed sad as she looked at the doll.

"Hey, you alright?" Natasha, Bucky, and Thor glanced at Kristen but soon returned to their own documents. When she didn't immediately answer, he tried again, "Samantha have a favorite doll when she was little too?"

Kristen nodded and quickly wiped at her eyes, "Yeah, a bear named 'Mr. Bear'… Samantha was a very imaginative child, as you can tell." She frowned slightly, but forced a smile.

"What is it?"

"This box- based on the pages I've got the Valkyrie have _dozens_ of books on the Norn directly, one of those pages mentions _crates_ of incident reports for Verdandi and Skuld alone, there are histories of the Realms that chronicle their rise to the ranks of General and something says there are-" she rummaged through the files beside her and retrieved a page, "hundreds of theories on what happened for the 10,000 years the Norn appeared to be dead."

"So?"

"Frigga put this box together after the assassination attempt to hide away for some purpose- presumably to help Thor and whoever he's with catch and kill the Norn… So, I guess my question is why this?" she held out the doll slightly, "We have to assume everything in this crate was chosen specifically to defeat the Norn. Out of everything, why waste precious space on a box with a doll? It isn't distinct enough to match up to Steve directly, and Sidhe's journal frankly told you all you needed to know to identify him and that Skuld had a nightmare about him- why bother with this? What does the doll say that the book didn't?"

Thor sighed and lowered the tome he was reading. It was another book from before the Norn fell, "I believe I know what you are looking for." He held up the book, "The missing piece-" Thor read out a handful of words none of the Midgardians could understand.

Kristen hunched forward so that her elbows rested on her knees and rubbed her eyes, "Please tell me that isn't what I think it is?"

"According to this book it is a 'Handling Code' for the Norn, meant to cause them to fall into a brief slumber."

Bucky's mouth fell open slightly and his expression softened, "A sleeper trigger?"

"What the doll says that the book doesn't is that the Norn were prisoners of war- child soldiers forced to serve the woman who slaughtered their people." Kristen sat up and looked to Bucky, "The sleeper trigger…" she looked to the crate of books, "It calls everything into question."

"Like were the Norn a force of evil who harassed and slaughtered Valkyrie, or insubordinate assets?" Bucky finished her thought for her, "We've got to go through everything with a grain of salt now."

"A _cowlick_ of salt," Sam corrected.

Thor repeated the phrase, "I do not know its meaning, but it may come in handy."

"Only use it as a last resort," Kristen stood and rubbed her forehead, "you don't want to risk pissing Verdandi off before you know if she's an enemy or not." Sam heard strain in her voice. She looked hard at the floor, shook her head, and walked away.

Sam held up a hand as Natasha made to stand and followed Kristen instead. She had stepped into a small bathroom at the back of the jet. She was staring at her own reflection in the mirror, miserable. When Sam leaned against the door she turned on the skink and splashed her face with cold water a few times, "You alright?"

"I'm fine," she grabbed a paper towel and held it under the faucet before pressing it to the back of her neck.

"Nah, you're not. You actually look like you're about to have a panic attack- for real this time. It's hard when you find out the baddies have a soul, huh?"

Kristen bit her cheek and took a deep breath, "I can't approach this like a shrink. I just- I really can't."

"Child soldiers and mental conditioning certainly muddies the waters a bit."

"I'm getting Samantha back, no matter who I need to go after, no matter what their story is." She put a hand on her stomach for a moment.

"Either you're pregnant or that didn't sit right." It was obvious which was the right answer, "You job is to help people, our job is to protect them. This isn't the first time we've found ourselves in a _villain_ / _victim_ scenario. Ask Bucky out there how that ended. We'll try to find a way to do right by all parties involved.

"This is a bit more complicated than Bucky. He was a Hydra asset, we aren't dealing with footsoldiers of some bigger threat, we're dealing with a bunch of powerful leaders who all want Samantha, and only one group comes with a chance of survival."

"How do you figure?"

"Loki is obvious, with what I'm seeing the Valkyrie would just kill her to frustrate the Norn, Odin already wants to kill her just to draw out wherever she hid the Swords-"

"-and there's at least one Norn using her to their own ends. Maybe two, if Verdandi went nuts like her sisters."

Sam put a hand on Kristen's shoulder and turned her to him, "Like you've said- you specialize in putting people's minds back together. Well, we specialize in getting them back _so_ people like you can put their minds back together. Samantha isn't going anywhere but Avengers Tower, I truly believe that. You need to as well. Until we know otherwise, let's assume Verdandi is with us and we at least have one ally, alright? It makes the scenery less bleak."

Kristen just nodded. Sam could tell she needed a moment alone, so he gave it to her, "I'm going to go sit back down. We'll land at your first stop in half an hour. Take all the time you need." He squeezed her shoulder and left her to process everything.

"What's wrong with the doc?" Natasha asked in a low voice (just in case she was listening).

"She was banking too hard on the Norn being generically evil. I think the shrink side of her and the big sister side are having a little throw-down. She'll be fine."

Bucky put down the book he was reading and glanced back at the bathroom, "JARVIS watching her?" Sam nodded, "Good. I don't like her being unsupervised. You never know with Hydra." Sam opened his mouth to argue, "I don't care what she says she is, until she finds a way to prove she's legit, I'm not trusting her."

"I'm with Bucky on this one." Natasha held up both hands to Sam, "Just being safe."

Even Thor agreed, "I believe Kristen to be honest in her intentions- she wishes only to find Samantha, as we all do, but… There is no harm in watching her carefully, at least until the weapons are in the right hands."

Sam glared at Thor, "I'm not saying we stop watching her. I'm not saying we stop suspecting her. I just said she's having a rough time."

"Fair enough," without Steve along, Natasha was the leader of their little group and she wanted to squash the argument before it turned into anything more, "My job is to determine if she's Hydra, Thor's is to find this weapon as soon as we get to the right area, and Bucky's is to deal with any threat she may pose. Sam, she'll need a friend on this trip, you want the mission?"

"Don't patronize me, Natasha," his tone was gentle, but firm. "If she's Hydra, I've got no problem locking her up. I'm a nice guy, I'm not a chump, don't get the two confused."

Kristen came back in the room and Sam immediately returned to his seat and picked up where he left off in Sidhe's journal. Natasha met Bucky's eyes and he subtly nodded. He'd keep an eye on Sam, just in case Kristen had any ideas of trying to seduce him to gain an ally or something. He was 'a nice guy, not a chump'; well, that was fine. But they were going to be his backup, just in case.

Sam would be thankful for that within the hour when they arrived in Bryn Mawr, PA.


	27. Chapter 26

** Chapter 26 **

Bryn Mawr was little more than a college in the suburbs of Philadelphia. The damn place wasn't even a _town_ properly, all JARVIS could say was that it was "census-designated", whatever the hell that meant. Bucky examined their surroundings as Sam landed the Quin-jet in a nearby park, "What the hell do you have to do so we know if this is the right place?"

"Just walk around, I'll know. I heard something in the background when Samantha called, it shouldn't be too hard to find again." Kristen wasn't bothered by Bucky's harsh tone. She knew she was asking them to go on blind faith with this- but it was the only way she could guarantee they'd keep her with them.

"And we're just supposed to take you at your word? How do we know this isn't some kind of trap?"

"You don't."

Kristen dug around in her go-bag and found a jacket to throw over her short-sleeve shirt. It was in the mid-80s, but she wanted the cover all the same. Even Natasha was flirting with heat-stroke in a white leather jacket (although that was Kevlar-lined and concealed an impressive number of knives and guns). Sam had his wings on, hidden beneath his "urban camo" (a fake backpack). Thor switched his Asgardian armor for jeans and a t-shirt, and Mjolnir would be coming along in an empty duffle bag (one Sam declared worthy of carrying the hammer). As for Bucky- well, his arm was weapon enough- but he did stuff his shirt and belt with grenades, knives, guns, and a few garrotes. Just in case.

"Bucky and I will be on the rooftops covering all of you." Natasha waited until Thor secured the crate of Norn intel to begin her briefing, "Sam and Kristen will be going along the northwest side of the college, Thor takes the southeast. Kristen, once you verify if this is the place or not, have Sam radio us and we'll head to the next location on the list."

"If it helps, I'm already starting to feel like this place is going to be a dud," just looking at the campus from the jet window as they flew over (shielded against prying eyes) was enough to tell her that.

"Well, it's never the first place you look." Sam smiled.

"Get going, and you two stick together. Thor, let us know if Mjolnir even _hums_ , got it?"

"I understand, Natasha."

"Let's move out," Bucky grumbled. He understood Natasha's plan- put Kristen with Sam and see what happens, but he didn't appreciate the added level of stress. Samantha was being held prisoner by Loki, there was no doubt she'd be tortured to within an inch of her sanity, the sister had forced her way into this hunt, she was probably affiliated with Hydra in some way, _and_ Natasha was giving her the best opening she'd get to setup some sort of ambush with Hydra. It wasn't on track to end well.

* * *

Calling the Bryn Mawr campus 'picturesque' wouldn't have done it justice. Great stone buildings rose over manicured green lawns dotted here and there with students stretched across picnic blankets working on homework, tans, or chatting. Granted, the campus was mostly deserted this time of year in the gap between summer and fall semesters, but there was still a decent enough populace to make Sam nervous as he and Kristen walked between buildings.

They weren't going anywhere in particular, that much was clear from the way she seemed to walk with purpose to nowhere at all. Kristen was waiting for something, and once the Avengers figured it out, Sam had no doubt she'd be sent back to the cell in Avengers Tower until the weapons were found. He didn't think she was Hydra, and he didn't believe she was a threat to them, but on the off chance the master assassins and super-spies were right about _their_ gut feelings, he wasn't about to be the one to let his guard down.

Kristen stayed ahead of Sam, but only by a step or two. They walked in silence at first, eyeing the students even as they walked through what shade they could. Fifteen minutes passed, bells in one of the towers around them chimed the hour, and Sam glanced at his companion, "Anything yet?"

"No, but I want to keep looking. I don't want to just cross this place off and then find out we didn't look far enough."

"You mean listen far enough?" Kristen shot him an exasperated look and Sam held up his hands, "Joking. Just trying to lighten the mood."

"You know what I meant."

Kristen winced as the sun reflected off of a glass-encased stairwell and flashed in her eyes. Sam picked up his pace so that his shadow blocked the light, "You don't do humor, huh? I guess that's the difference between the sisters."

"I don't have a lot to smile about right now." She walked far enough to get out of the window's glair and faced Sam, "What Tyr saw in his dream- don't tell me you don't see at least _some_ parallels."

"You mean like losing a sister? Loki took Samantha from you, whatever happened to Skuld took her from Verdandi."

"I guess it's true then. History repeats."

"Well, it's our job to break that cycle."

Kristen shrugged. A movement behind Sam caught her eye and she froze. Someone was walking into a building in the distance and Kristen could have sworn it was-

"Are you alright?" Sam glanced behind him, but he saw nothing. When he turned back to face Kristen she looked distressed, "What is it?"

"I-" Kristen's mouth kept opening and closing, like she _wanted_ to tell him, but she was also afraid of whatever it was she saw. He shook her slightly to get her attention and Kristen's eyes snapped to him, "I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what?"

"If I don't do this, a good person dies." Kristen pulled Sam in close suddenly and kissed him. Granted, both of them were a bit flush from the heat, but still- it was _hot_. As the Avenger had said, he wasn't a chump, but all Kristen needed was that split second Sam's brain would be going ' _what the fuck!?'_. She reached around him and grabbed the gun he'd tucked into the back of his jeans, then broke the kiss and rammed her knee into his groin. All the air left his lungs and he doubled over. Kristen brought the gun around and slammed it into his temple, just above his eyebrow. Pain exploded through his head and a bright light obscured his vision. Sam fell, dazed if not unconscious.

Kristen flipped off the safety and bolted across the quad towards the glass staircase. She didn't know where Bucky and Natasha were, or if they'd seen what she did to Sam, but every step she expected to be her last. The assassins weren't going to let her off the hook for this one, but she couldn't just stand by while that idiot ran around.

"Charles!" Kristen skid to a stop just inside the door and came face-to-face with a full Hydra death squad- six professional killers that might even give Natasha and Bucky a run for their money. At the center of the group was her Hydra contact. Kristen took in the sight of the agents around him- the hard set of their jaws, the cold vacancy in their eyes, their assault rifles held at the ready, and black Kevlar tactical gear. "You don't want to do this."

"Oh, I really do."

"Think about Macie! If you attack, they'll kill you. She's barely got her legs under her now, if she lost you she wouldn't survive it. You know that!" Kristen's heart pounded. "I told you a long time ago that I won't take sides between Hydra, the Avengers, or SHIELD, I'm only thinking about Macie, you need to as well. Please!"

"I did you a _favor_ ," Charles spat. "I put a protection order on Samantha. _Captain America's LOVER!"_ the words echoed in the empty atrium. He was shaking with fury and his voice dropped to a low whisper, "Do you have any idea how that looks? You didn't think I needed to know you're affiliated with the _Avengers_?!"

"Charles-"

"Since they took our Asset and he started showing them where we were holed up, Hydra's become even more intolerant to _any_ questions of loyalty!" He held up his hand and the guards raised their guns, "The more of you and your _allies_ I kill, the safer Macie and I will be from reprisal!"

Kristen raised her gun in response to the death squad's actions, "LISTEN TO ME! They won't let you kill me, they need me too much. They think I'm Hydra, and I'm _still_ here! That alone should tell you how this is going to end. Don't make this mistake. Don't attack them. The Winter Soldier is unstable, he'll kill you in cold blood and then what? As soon as Macie finds out you're gone, she's dead. You can't throw your life away when hers hangs in the balance too."

"We're off the clock, Doctor." Charles sneered, "It's time you shut up. For the good of everyone. Hail Hydra." He dropped his hand.

There was a high-pitched, sharp _crack_. It felt like someone stabbed Kristen through the shoulder. She cried out in surprise and pain as the bullet tore through her arm. The force of it knocked her over as even more bullets sprayed around her. Another went into her hip, making the woman scream out in pain. She could see the squad in front of her falling one by one and didn't understand what was happening. All that mattered was that Charles was crouched down, pulling the gun from the hands of another Hydra agent. Kristen still had Sam's gun in her hand. She aimed it with great pain, her hands shook, and she fired.

Her bullet blew out Charles' kneecap. He screamed and dropped the gun, then fell. Kristen couldn't even tell when the shooting stopped- Charles' shouts and the pain in her arm and hip made her deaf to what was happening around them. After a few moments, Thor entered with Mjolnir uncovered and Sam supported with his free arm. Natasha and Bucky weren't far behind them, and Bucky had his assault rifle out and at the ready.

"Gunvald!" Sam pushed away from Thor and staggered over to her. He pulled the gun from her hand and rolled her onto her back, "Nat, help me here!"

"It's alright," Kristen's voice was thin and her ears rang, but shock was setting in and taking the edge off.

"Ssh, just keep quiet, okay? You need to concentrate on staying awake." Sam pulled a pressure bandage from one of his pockets and tossed it to Natasha. She worked on the doctor's hip while Sam focused on her shoulder.

"This won't kill me, and we both know it. Stop being dramatic." Kristen tried to laugh just as Natasha tightened the bandage and it turned into a soft cry. Bucky was standing over Charles as if daring him to make a move and Kristen shot him a glance, "If he meant to kill me, he would have."

Natasha huffed in response to Sam's sharp look, "He did it to get you out of the way. Hydra would have turned you into Swiss cheese."

"The first shot didn't knock you over, so I had to make another one." Bucky called back towards her.

"Stop smiling," she grumbled at him.

"No. The shots were through-and-through. Basic stitching should leave minimal scarring." He eyed Charles, "This one wasn't as clean, though."

"Don't kill him," Kristen cursed as Sam tied his bandage around her shoulder, "if you kill him, his wife won't make it. Prison is better. Sam- I'm sorry. I'm so sorry-"

"We heard everything over comms. I tagged you before you kneed me." Sam gently lifted Kristen's head and pulled his spare earpiece out of the band of her ponytail, "You're not the only one with fast hands."

"We'll patch you up on the ship, swing by a physician we've got on retainer to take a look at the wounds, but from now on you're paired with Thor."

Natasha's words surprised Kristen, "You're not going to lock me up?"

Bucky chose to answer this one, "We trust you even less now than we did before. But I got to shoot you, which I've been wanting to do basically since we met, so I'm happy."

"A SHIELD clean-up crew is minutes out, we've got to get going. We don't want to be answering any uncomfortable questions- like what the hell are we doing here." San reminded the spies and backed away from Kristen with Natasha. Thor picked her up gingerly (which still hurt like hell) and nodded to the other two. Sam held the door for him, "Bucky, if you wouldn't mind securing our prisoner here for SHIELD?"

Charles was still muttering curses as the butt of the rifle came down, breaking his nose and knocking him out. He wasn't smiling when he walked past Natasha, but he did reach back and squeeze her hand quickly. His eyes burned slightly. He was too proud of shooting Gunvald, too at ease with his kills. It was going to be a rough night- maybe even one for the record book, after all the strain he'd been under.

"Sam, while I stitch up the doctor can you find us somewhere to lay low for the night? She'll need rest and we'll need to bring the physician here to check on her." Natasha tapped her stomach where the scars from Bucky's (first) bullet was situated.

"Three rooms?" it was her code for 'Winter Soldier Mode'. It meant she didn't think it was safe for them all to sleep on the jet this time.

"That should be fine."

"Nat's right. You should send the spare suit to pin me down." Bucky growled ahead of them. He'd caught the reflection of Natasha's gesture in the windows of an adjacent building. The quad was empty, it cleared out as soon as he started firing, and he picked up the pace to overtake even Thor. It felt like a caged animal scratching away at his mind. He was angry, suddenly, and he felt the Bucky side of him fading under the blood pounding in his ears. As long as he was awake he could hold it back, but this was something long in the works. He wouldn't be better until he had a horrible night, and right now they didn't have time for him to fight it until the rage faded. His needs had to come second to the mission- find the weapon and get Samantha back.

Nothing was more important than that. Not even his sanity.

* * *

Banner wandered into the gym just in time to see Steve murder a 'sandbag'. Tony had synthesized the most durable fabric on the planet, replaced the sand with tiny metal pellets, and overall crafted something that worked for the Super-soldier and Thor the same way a _normal_ sandbag did for the rest of them. Except for all his work there was still a fatal flaw- when Steve was pissed, even the toughest materials in the world weren't enough.

"I found something. It won't help us find Samantha, but it answers a question, I think." He held up a folder.

"What is it?" Steve began unwrapping his hands as he headed for the broom at the side of the gym- this wasn't the first bag he'd broken today.

"Professor Weaver didn't chose the dig site, the financier bought the rights to the land and arranged all the permits for him to move the dig there. Now, the financier is a private firm, but the money- and the orders- came from an impressive series of shell corporations that dead-end in a little renaissance smithy in London."

Steve sighed, "So we need to go to London to get answers?"

Banner shook his head, "No, I don't mean a renaissance- _style_ smithy, I mean a literal renaissance smithy. Founded in 1695. There's a clear enough paper trail that a mix of JARVIS and a friend of mine at the London Archives were able to track. From then to now the owner or company has been someone who kept such a low profile there aren't even pictures of them. Taxes are always paid up, property is usually sold off, not transferred- only the money keeps going. As for the firm who purchased the land on their behalf? They've been affiliated with this phantom-line since the 1800s. No evidence of direct communication, and every time the firm made a decision they did not like or tried to embezzle the money, the offending accountant either reported horrific nightmares, demonic possession, mysterious illness, or they were simply found dead."

"You make it sound worse than it was." A woman's voice echoed through the room. Steve jumped and held the broom as if it were a weapon, "Bad dreams? Yes. Illness? Yes. Death? Once, and that actually had nothing to do with embezzlement- he was a monster in his own right. As for demonic possession- well, at the time it was a bit of a status symbol- to be possessed by something or another. That one had nothing to do with me."

"Which Norn are we talking to?" Steve called out. A low _woosh_ of wind swept through the room. When Steve and Banner turned towards it a blindfolded woman in a scarlet gown and golden sandals stood in the corner. Her mouth was hard-set, and she was armored as if for a fight.

" _You_ speak to no Norn. I am but a message, and you will listen well."

"We're all ears." Banner had the Hulk ready just beneath the surface.

"Stay the beast, Robert Bruce Banner. This is but a mirage, there is nothing it can do but make a mess."

"Am I supposed to be intimidated? You know my full name- congratulations on taming google."

Steve held up a hand to silence Banner, "What's the message?"

The image flickered and the stance of the woman changed slightly, as if it were replaying something pre-recorded, "You humans have misunderstood our story. That will change- it _must_ change- if you are to have any hope at surviving. _I_ am the one who tracked down Skuld and reclaimed the weapons of the Norn. _I_ am the one who handed them over to King Odin and Queen Frigga as a gesture of goodwill before _I_ took Skuld away from Asgard."

"Where is your sister now?"

"I lost her. Many, many years ago. If she surfaces you will find yourself opposite a force you cannot hope to overcome, so this must end. Our weapons _must_ be scattered once again. If not, everything burns."

" _'Stop searching, or watch your world burn_ '. Your sister screamed that in the mind of our friend." Banner stared down the phantom.

"Then Skuld is already stirring. Let me worry about that."

"Why are you here? What do you want?" Steve snapped, "You're the ones who put her in place to find those swords in the first place! You moved her dig!"

"I have my reasons, and I have my plans." The Valkyrie flicked her wrist and a book appeared in her hand, "Your woman is not part of that though." She tossed it at Steve and he reacted automatically. To his surprise, what landed in his open hand was _solid_. "I will need your assistance to end this in a favorable way. That is my gesture of good will. During the First Jotun War, the Valkyrie sought to find new ways to transfer their armies through the Realms undetected, so their sorcerers and casters crafted tunnels- secret passages between the nine Realms. As a willful trainee I made it my mission in life to identify all passages in and out of each and every one of those Realms. Earth has many, it was a staging arena for great armies even before my time, but that book- _my book_ \- will reveal them to you."

"How is that useful to us?" It was incredibly useful to them, Steve just felt like being a dick.

The mirage of Verdandi had little patience for his needling, "Loki cannot be working alone on Earth without some sort of assistance or seat of power in another Realm. He will be near one of the locations in the book that he may slip away undetected. I have tried to find his base, but while I may see through the eyes of his soldiers, none enter and none leave. I cannot help you locate him on my own, no- to be frank- do I have the time while I try to collect our weapons before you humans start playing with a fire you cannot control. Your woman has no place in this fight, and is of no use to me or my plans. Consider this book- in a way her very life- a gift to show that though I will not join your cause directly, I am no enemy. Get her out of the line of fire before it is too late."

"Wait-"the mirage imploded, leaving Steve with a book and about a hundred questions. Verdandi also left him with something incredibly dangerous to both his enemies and allies-

Hope.


	28. Chapter 27

**A quick warning before this chapter-**

It's a little bit sexy (borderline NSFW, but not really), a healthy amount of gore, and there is a bit of a threat later on in this chapter that might concern some readers, so I want to explain it now-

Loki will allude to an upcoming torture when he's talking to Samantha and I wrote it here vaguely on purpose (so she would also get the wrong idea), but I want to make it clear- There will never be a 'sex' scene between Loki (especially not in Steve's guise) and Samantha. Ever. Never ever. Not in a gazillion years. Loki _will_ use Steve's guise to try to drive Samantha insane, but he will never cross the intimacy line. _Everything_ Loki does to Samantha (and everything she does/says) is heavily _heavily_ planned out so there are no unnecessary torture scenes and you see enough to show her breaking down (again, _HIGHLY_ relevant to the story later on in "Avengers: Valkyrie Wars- Part 2").

So with those warnings, here's your chapter. From now on before Loki/Samantha chapters I'll put a basic "Warning: Torture Scene". If you have issues reading any of it, or if it's too gory/hits a trigger for you, just send me a PM and I will summarize the relevant parts of the chapter for you.

** Chapter 27 **

"That was-" Steve couldn't find the words.

"Yeah…"

"Wow." For _weeks_ they had been talking about doing this, taking their nearly three-month relationship to a new level. Steve expected his first time with Samantha to be awkward, like it usually was (in all two, now three, of his sexual encounters with women). Nothing about _that_ was awkward though. Granted, this night had a bigger build-up than the other two…

Steve took Samantha off to D.C. in the Quin-Jet for a nice dinner at his favorite upscale restaurant near his old flat ( _fantastic_ takeout), walked along the shoreline of Lake Michigan as the sun set and people shot off fireworks in their pre-July 4 celebrations, and then went dancing at the Green Mill Lounge in Chicago. The intention was to just have a fun night out (in heavy disguises) instead of staying in for a change, but somewhere between Chicago and Bloomington the couple decided it was time.

Dinah Schultz had been his first. On his 21st birthday, when Steve admitted (under heavy intoxication) to still being a virgin Bucky made it his mission in life to find a woman who walked the line between slutty and sweet and plant her in Steve's path, "As is any best-friend's duty." Their liaison went down hill _minutes_ after it began when Steve first realized he didn't have the upper body strength to top and _then_ had a full-blown asthma attack before… _completing_. To Dinah's credit, she hunted down his nebulizer (back then a cross between a bike horn and oil can) from within his satchel and at with him until he had enough breath to _beg_ her to keep it quiet, _especially_ around Barnes. To her _dis_ -credit, she did not.

The experience with Dinah traumatized and embarrassed him so much it wasn't until Peggy Carter, nearly ten years later, that Steve finally tried again. In the war, after a particularly strenuous battle, both of them were more than a little revved up. The Commandos were all out seducing (or buying) a little relief for the bloodlust, and the couple knew they would have privacy until the next morning. They were both heady with adrenaline, nervous, but more than ready to release the pent-up sexual tension that had been building for so long, so he led Peggy back to the barracks and- well, it didn't end with an inhaler this time.

They kept their relations secret under paid of- well, under the pain of not having relations again. Still, after only a week of stolen kisses and _creative_ ways to find their privacy, the cover was blown. Steve entered the briefing room with the Commandos and somehow missed straightening his collar. The change in the usually meticulously well-kempt leader led Bucky to point and loudly proclaim, "SEX!" Five (miserable) minutes of cajoling later Peggy entered. Bucky had stared hard at the two- neither making direct eye contact with him- and went to Steve's side, "Slut." He turned and bowed his head to Peggy, "Forgive my language, ma'am. My friend here is what the nurses would call a 'loose man'."

With a sly wink and a high-five to the lady the next few weeks were almost predictable- _Steve_ was the whore of the Commandos (even though he and Gabe were the most chaste by _miles_ , Steve would later go on to wonder how man bastards Bucky left in his wake) and Peggy was their hero, "the woman who broke Captain America's chastity belt!"

And then Bucky fell from the train. And then Steve fell from the sky. And then it was 70 years later in the blink of an eye and Peggy- his dear Peggy- was an old woman who's mind was trapped in the past. But then Bucky reappeared and Peggy actually helped bring him in from the cold, and Steve _still_ felt like he was sinking in that ice…

And then Samantha.

Now they were here. In her bed, naked and utterly spent and everything felt so _right_. Steve couldn't imagine a more perfect feeling than catching your breath with your limbs still tangled around the woman you love and trust with all your being.

After the strain of the Depression, the brutality of the War, the endless missions with SHIELD and the Avengers, the betrayal of Hydra within SHIELD, the ugliest side of humanity that devoured his best friend, and the barefoot crawl across broken glass that was finding Bucky within the Winter Soldier and getting through the trial (which had only _just_ ended)- was it any wonder the simple, passionate, open, and honest love of Samantha brought _life_ into Steve's old bones?

"I love you," he held her tight against his chest.

"I love you too." She smiled and kissed him gently, then pushed away and sat up to straddle his chest, "Non-Super human needs food before he even _think_ about attempting a Round 4." Samantha bit her lip as she lifted off of Steve and felt him leave her, "Maybe Round 4 should wait until the morning. I think something's chaffed…"

Steve laughed and sat up to hold Samantha as she straddled his hips. He gave her one last, long, passionate kiss before picking her up and setting her feet firmly on the floor, "Why don't we get cleaned up and go somewhere nice?"

"What did you have in mind?" Samantha went to her dresser to grab clean clothes and stumbled slightly, "And how much walking is involved?"

"We'll use the jet, then the bike. It'll take a few hours, but Stark keeps the jet packed with snacks and there are some very comfortable cots that pull down from the walls. Popcorn, sleep, then a nice-" he looked at his watch, "dinner."

"Don't you mean breakfast?"

"I know what I said." Steve got up and went to Samantha. He rested his hands on her rear as she wound her arms around his hips. They swayed for a few moment in a slow dance and Steve nuzzled Samantha's neck, "What do you say?"

"Sounds like a plan."

* * *

Samantha jerked awake with a spasm of pain that wracked her entire body. Congealed blood filled her mouth from where she'd bitten pieces off the edges of her tongue and insides of her cheek. There were chunks of something hard mixed in around the edges of her mouth and when Samantha tried to move her tongue a fire-spike of pain shot through her jaw up into her skull. The hard little pieces were teeth that had cracked and broken from the force of her biting down against the pain. Her entire body shivered and shook, which only made her bones ache all the more. That agony- the horrific pain from the first session was a _relief_ to the sudden bursts of acid that made her blood burn in her veins.

Slowly, someone lifted one of Samantha's eyelids. Only the whites of her eyes were visible- she couldn't seem to get them to roll down again. Whoever touched her _tisk_ ed and heaved a soft sigh, "Forgive me for waking you, dear Samantha. It looked like such a pleasant dream. Here, drink this, it will take the edge off while we talk." Something deliciously cool was pressed to her lips. Samantha forced her jaw to open just far enough for the water to trickle in. Whatever it touched, it numbed to the agony of her tortures. Samantha swallowed and braced for a choked cough, but none came. From her core the glorious numbness seeped out into her bones and skin, holding at bay almost all of her torments.

As Samantha processed the potion, Loki waited patiently, true to his earlier pledge. She could take all the time she needed (within reason). Her life was a ticking clock from the moment she took the first sip, not that he was about to share that little secret with her. The Norn interference in the Great Library scared Loki more than he would say. It reeked too much of a future alliance between the Avengers and at least one of the monsters, and he needed the weapon before they could make their pact.

What Samantha drank was a concoction once used by Asgardian torturers (banned eons ago) to set their victims at ease, make the susceptible to suggestion, lower their defenses, and force them to speak the truth, all in one. The perfect interrogation aid. Unfortunately Thor's great-grandfather, cowardly scum, spearheaded the effort to ban the toxin and wipe its recipe from existence. It was all over a little matter of the subjects not being able to survive more than three doses, yet at the same time it made their bodies violently crave the substance that was killing them in the first place. Loki didn't see what the problem was- most of those the drug was used on would have been executed anyways, if they were being tortured by the holier-than-thou Asgardians.

As a child he'd found a scrap of paper tucked into a book at the back of the royal family's private library- no doubt hidden long ago by someone who didn't want the old ways to die. Or left there by someone who _knew_ it would be of assistance to Loki. If Verdandi was circling, it was no doubt the Avengers would at least attempt an alliance with her. If it were _Skuld_ however- well, Loki could only hope the Norn gifted with Future-Sight had seen his need for the potion and provided it so long ago as a sort of gesture of friendship.

Either way- on the longer-lived races of the Realms, the potion took months to eat away at its victims sanity, will, and eventually their very bodies. With a Midgardian? Loki estimated mere days were left. He hadn't intended to use the brutality of the poison, at least not this early, but desperation forced his hand. If Samantha told him everything he needed to find the weapon- or at least gave him enough clues to locate it- then he would break his earlier promise to make her death slow and painful. He would kill her quickly (and then have his Hydra friends mangle the body so that even the Captain wouldn't be able to identify her by sight).

When her eyes rolled down at last and Samantha could see, Loki smiled kindly to her, "Dear Samantha, I apologize for my tardiness. It took longer than I anticipated to procure the medicine for you."

"T-thank you." Her voice was reedy, thin, but it was good enough. Her answer told Loki the poison was taking effect- or he'd already broken her.

"You are welcome, Lady. If I may- you looked so peaceful that I couldn't resist seeing what all the fuss was about-"he tapped his finger to her temple. "It was a beautiful memory. There is nothing sweeter than the embrace of a lover. Where, if I may be so bold, did the Captain take you?"

"T-Thailand. A c-coconut curry stall he f-found on a mission."

"And you like this 'coconut curry'?"

"Yes. It's my f-favorite."

"How sweet." Loki helped Samantha into a sitting position and brushed her hair back from her face, "Can you tell me about another trip? One not so long ago?"

"I'll do my b-best." A cold shiver ran up Samantha's spine. Even her mind, dulled by pain and poison, felt a deep, dark shadow creeping up from behind.

"Good, Lady Samantha. I want you to close your eyes- yes, like that- and think back on the box you found nearly one week ago. Can you picture it?"

"Y-yes."

"You touched the box and something happened, do you know what?"

"A f-flash of light. I saw-"

"Yes, I know what you saw- the Norn on the battlefield- but what did you _feel_? _Smell_? _Hear_? Something not of the vision."

Samantha felt the cold, wet dirt grabbing at her arms, just as she had before, "I smell trees, wet m-mud- a d-deep, thick smell. B-being c-cold. Hearing-"

"Yes?" Loki prompted, heart pounding.

"I heard-"something locked Samantha's mouth. She couldn't think suddenly- it was like the shadow she felt behind her had stolen away her mind and filled it with mist.

"What did you hear?"

The fog parted and in its place only a single, solitary thought was left to her, "I heard nothing." Her mind was utterly empty of Samantha- of her own thoughts, feelings, memories, emotions, and awareness. She could only speak what floated there at its center, words chosen for her, "I won't t-tell you anything. You can't m-make me betray S-Steve." The clarity vanished and the poison took hold once again. The shadow vanished from her.

Loki was _livid_ , "TELL ME WHAT YOU HEARD!"

"N-no. I won't." She didn't even know why she was saying it. Tears dripped down her cheeks, but even as she cried the last traces of the darkness that invaded her mind brought to the surface her determination to hold out for Steve's sake. Still, it didn't make anything easier. The old hag she'd heard in her mind was keeping her word- she wasn't letting Samantha pass on anything Loki could use.

He glared at her for a long time, long enough for a prickling itch in Samantha's mouth to signal the fading numbing effects of the interrogation potion. "Tell me, Samantha, what do you want? The greater pain, or the lesser?" his voice was cold, hard.

"P-please," even the bravado faded away, "I c-can't tell you. I t-tried."

"WHICH PAIN DO YOU CHOOSE?!"

"L-lesser!" she cried, "Please, I'm sorry! I-I tried to t-tell you!"

"The lesser of the pain." Loki shook his head and when he spoke it was as if he were spitting the words, "You think, after telling me _nothing_ , you've earned that?"

"N-no, please-"

"I'll make you _beg_ you could be in as much pain as you were last night. Maybe this time I should add something? To make sure you know you are being punished?" He pushed Samantha back down with two fingers. It was as if her body were being buried under a great weight. Pressure covered every last inch of her, filled her mouth and eyes, made it impossible to move or even breathe unless it was the slow, even breath Loki's magic regulated, "No screaming this time either." He locked her jaw and vocal cords, "You don't move. You don't blink. You don't even _breathe_ unless my magic allows. A bit of peace and quiet for your good guards. A prison of endless agony and fire and _silence_ for you." He leaned in close so that his lips brushed against her ear lightly, "When I'm done with you, you'll _beg_ , _plead_ , and offer me anything- _anything_ \- I want, if only for five minutes rest." As he spoke Loki slid his hand across Samantha's stomach to rest on the back of her hips, not far from where Steve had rested his own hand in her dream.

He stood and smiled down on the frozen woman, "You thought last night's pain was the worst you'd ever felt? Try this-"with a snap of his fingers the magic took hold again. Samantha couldn't move, true, but Loki reached out with a tendril of his power and heard her screams echo deafeningly inside her own mind.

He turned to the guards and smiled, "At ease, men. She will not need much of your care under this spell." Loki picked up the cup and glanced inside- a splatter of liquid remained. Loki turned the cup upside down over Samantha and smiled as the droplets hit her and began to seep through her flesh, "It won't stop. Not until it reaches magma, I'd presume. Isn't it interesting? You can _drink_ the potion, this cup can _hold_ the potion, but to all else- flesh, bone, and even concrete- it is caustic."

The guards did not reply. Loki turned back to them and jumped-

The guards were dead.

What moments ago had been two strong Hydra agents (He'd fondly named them 'One' and 'Two' after their last conversation) was now a pile of intestine, organ, bone, and sinew. It was as though their flesh itself had been ripped from them. 'One' still twitched and gasped as blood poured from his rapidly deteriorating body and his own nerves tortured him in ways even Loki could not inflict. 'Two' had a large rip through the muscles of his chest- as though someone had ripped from him a rib bone. Several stabs through his torso pooled blood and created a sort of demonic quill-and-ink set.

His back was on the guards for all of ten seconds, yet already there was a message scrawled in the guard's blood:

'DO NOT THINK TO TRY ME, BOY. I WILL NOT LET YOU HAVE MY SWORDS.'

"Well," Loki sighed coolly to cover up how hard his heart was pounding, "I suppose that's a 'no' on any alliance?"

There was a crackling sound and another rib lifted out of 'Two'. It spun in the air and launched itself at Loki. He tried to swat at it with his power, but the force pushing the bone was like nothing he had ever felt- it made his efforts look like a child pushing at a mountain. The bone slammed into his stomach and pierced through his armor, clothes, flesh, and out again through the other side where it exploded into pieces of grime and gore against the wall. Loki gasped and put a hand over the wound to staunch the bleeding. He had everything he needed to heal such a wound, but the pain of it terrified and enraged him.

When Loki looked back up from his bloodied hand fresh blood was splashed across the wall. In it was smeared Skuld's reply-

'NEVER.'


	29. Chapter 28

** Chapter 28 **

"So, you wanna tell us how Charles Durand, Hydra's Director of Special Operations, found us in an obscure 'town' in Pennsylvania?" Natasha was with Kristen and Doctor Johansson- the Avengers on-call physician- on the bridge of the Quin-Jet. The doctor had her hooked to several IVs and was delicately stitching up her wounds.

"You were there when I got on board- JARVIS scanned me and my duffle for tracking tech _specifically_. I didn't smuggle anything on or make any calls." Kristen was half out of it on morphine, but she still mounted an adamant defense.

The Quin-Jet was shielded in a field a hundred miles from Bryn Mawr, and outside Thor was helping Bucky blow off some steam with a good-natured sparring match. Sam was on the bridge of the ship- part of the team guarding Ten but also the official scorekeeper for the two outside, "Bucky would ask how we're supposed to trust that- I would too, after the knee you gave me." He winced, "Thor's sitting on his head now. Nope- Bucky threw him."

"Guess what?" Ten tilted her head back so she could see (an upside-down) Sam, "I don't _care_. Check me, scan me, have your doctor dig around in there- I didn't contact Charles in any way, shape, or form. I know that, it's not my job to prove anything." Her words were a bit slurred when she tried longer sentences, but she was clear enough.

JARVIS decided to offer up some less-than-helpful insight into the situation, "If I may, Natasha Romanov, as a former SHIELD regional director, Mister Durand would have had access to technology developed my Master Stark _specifically_ for the purpose of tracking the movement of Quin-Jets. It is feasible he used such technology to track our progress to Bryn Mawr from a second jet."

" _Maybe_ ," Natasha had to give him that, "but maybe not. JARVIS, I want the med suit on sentinel mode, it's in charge of guarding Kristen now, _in addition_ to myself. Also- find a way to reset the jet so that it can't be tracked by _anyone_."

"Yes, Miss Romanov."

"I'll be right back," Sam sighed and went over to a thin red locker. From it he pulled a massive gun and headed down the ramp of the ship. Natasha ran a hand through her hair and went over to the window to look out. Bucky had Thor in a chokehold- but he was biting his lower lip and staring ahead with bulging eyes as if _he_ were the one being strangled. The Asgardian was losing steam to fight back- until Sam leveled the gun and fired a bolt of electricity that launched Bucky halfway across the field.

"What did Sam just do?" Kristen closed her eyes as the doctor began stitching her shoulder- the lesser of the two wounds.

"Super soldier version of a tazer. Hydra used electroshock to reset him and reprogram him, so when he snaps… Sometimes that's what it takes to get him back. It's the quick and dirty way. Before you criticize us- it was his doctor's idea. For emergency use only."

Kristen nodded to herself, "In emergencies you have to do what you have to do. It isn't enough to knock him out?"

"No. Just redirect him for a bit. Like throwing a bucket of ice water over him." Natasha watched from the window as Sam helped Thor up and both ran over to Bucky.

"Who's his doctor?"

"Philip Cho."

Kristen half-laughed, "Doctor Phil. Don't call him that- it pisses him off. I met him at a conference in New York a couple years ago."

Natasha glanced back, "How many years ago?"

"Yeah, I was there for the invasion. I remember thinking how nice it was of Loki to attack when the city had nearly 3,000 extra shrinks hanging out. Granted, about half of them were marriage counselors, and a handful didn't make it through the attack, but still. I stuck around for a few days afterwards … Given my _particular_ specialty, I really couldn't stay. Back then there just wasn't anyone free to handle my patients. We were all pulling overtime for the rest of the year trying to take the overflow from New York."

"And meanwhile _we_ ride off into the sunset." Natasha glanced back from the window. Doctor Johansson was stitching Kristen's shoulder delicately, but the girl wasn't even flinching from the tugging sensations in her arm. Her eyes were still closed and she looked like she was about to drift off to sleep, "A lot of people were pissed about that."

"Not me," Kristen opened an eye and peeked at Natasha, but avoided seeing the doctor's handiwork religiously. "You stopped the organization we trusted- knowingly or not- to take care of this world from setting off a nuclear warhead in New York City and also turned back an alien invasion while you were at it. If that's what it took to bring the Avengers out of the shadows, I can only imagine all the work you did in secret. Just because we couldn't see you all on skyscrapers shooting baddies it didn't mean you weren't there keeping the world safe all the same."

Natasha laughed bitterly, "What do you mean? That warhead was sent _just so_ Stark could fly it into the middle of the Chit'auri staging area. Don't you watch the news? They even said it was all part of our genius plan."

"Bullshit. I know backtracking when I hear it." The doctor patted Kristen's elbow and she rolled onto her side with his help so that he could stitch the back. She finally opened both eyes and inspected the freshly closed wound.

"I didn't say it, but you're right." Natasha shrugged.

"Can I be right about one more thing?" Kristen softened her tone as Natasha looked over, "Bucky- he's going down a dangerous road and if you don't stop him now then _that_ -"she nodded to the window, "is only going to get worse."

Bucky was sitting on the grass with Sam and Thor not far away, holding his head in his hands. Natasha sighed, "Tell me, Doctor Gunvald, what have you noticed in a couple of days that Doctor Cho didn't see in months of treating him?"

"What Cho didn't see was how _you_ _all_ interact with him. Samantha told me that she tried to tell him what happened- which, by the way, I know very little about- wasn't his fault, that he wasn't to blame, and it set him off."

"That's right."

"And you all tell him this?"

"Of course we do. We're his friends."

"You need to stop." Kristen's tone was soft, "Look, I've dealt with P.O.W's who were forced to do some bad stuff- nothing like what he went through, but as close as you can get. I know the urge- they obviously had no say in it, they were tortured to the point where they didn't even know who they were, brainwashed so that they didn't know what they'd done until it was over- it wasn't their fault, and you want to tell them that… But you can't- not in the ways that you all have."

Natasha agreed with the doctor, but she wasn't going to admit it, "If we don't, he'll blame himself and try to shoot, stab, or hang himself again. _Again_. You have no idea what that's like- that _terror_ of not knowing what's going on in his head- of not being able to help him."

"I do, I've seen it more times than you'd think. But look at him, and look at what he's been doing. He's convinced himself- with your help- that the Winter Soldier and James Barnes are two different people crammed into one body. Maybe it's helping him process everything- but based on what I'm seeing he's on the verge of a full mental break. In his mind he's two different people, but he can't be. He can't shove aside anything Winter Soldier as if it was a second person, or else you'll end up with an assassin with multiple personality disorder. He didn't _chose_ it. He isn't _responsible_. That's fine. Just don't tell him it wasn't him. If you do then it's only going to be harder to break him out of these episodes."

"Any tips for handling him tonight?" she watched Thor help Bucky to his feet.

"Tell him to stop fighting the dreams. If there's something he won't think about, _make him_ think about it. If there's something he won't talk about, _make him_ talk about it. The more he runs, the harder it will be to face later. He knows that already, he's doing his best, but he needs someone to keep him on point."

"How much longer do you think this will take, doc?" Natasha addressed Johansson.

"Less than ten minutes for the stitching, after that you all know how to handle recovery. Maybe Prince Thor has something to speed things along?"

"Maybe, thank you doctor." Natasha glanced to Kristen who had her eyes closed again, "You too, brat. You gave me something to think about."

" _Doctor_ Brat." Kristen mumbled before letting the morphine have its way with her.

Natasha, meanwhile, decided to phone Avengers Tower and pass along the Doctor's words- not about Bucky, though she agreed with Gunvald's assessment of the situation- ' _Just because we couldn't see you all on skyscrapers shooting baddies it didn't mean you weren't there keeping the world safe all the same._ ' Bucky had a support system around him, even when he was trying to kill them. Steve tried to go it alone- just as Verdandi had with Skuld, according to Tyr's vision. It nearly killed him, until the Avengers stepped in and formed a more unified support system.

So who did Verdandi have?

* * *

"I've got something!" Clint jumped when Tony ran into the lounge with a printout in his hand. Steve and Banner, heads together as they compared printouts of Verdandi's notebook to a frankly ridiculous number of maps, glanced up from their work. Tony didn't stand on ceremony, he held up the paper, "I went through anything I could find on the Norn, nothing useful, then inspiration struck. Verdandi looks like the Grimm Reaper, right? Maybe she inspired it, I don't know, but I found an ancient text that no one's ever been able to make heads or tails of-"

"Read it." Clint rolled his eyes, "Enough with the buildup."

"Fine," Tony cleared his throat, "it says: All our times have come, here but now we're done. Seasons don't fear the Reaper. Nor do the wind, the sun, or the- OW!"

A pen, thrown by Steve, bounced off of Tony's forehead as he read, "Stark, even I know those are the lyrics to a song."

"'Don't Fear the Reaper'," Banner agreed, "Blue Oyster Cult. I'm impressed you know that one, Steve."

"Well _excuse me_ for bringing some levity to the situation." Tony wadded up the paper and threw it at Steve. He caught it mid-air and unfolded the page, "Let me summarize the techno-babble. That's a printout saying Doctor Gunvald's DNA matches the stuff SHIELD has on file. She's who she says she is. Also, when they vaccinated her the Polio one didn't stick, so she needs a do-over. It happens. I'll have the spare suit on the jet handle it."

Steve threw the paper in Tony's general direction and went back to trying to match young-Verdandi's maps to geographical features as they might have been on Earth nearly 30,000 years ago. It was going to take forever, and he already felt a migraine coming on, but in the end Steve knew he would have Samantha back.

Clint's phone buzzed and he fished it out of his pocket, "Update from Natasha- Bryn Mawr was a bust. They ran into some Hydra trouble. Tony, she wants to know if you can write something to disable any SHIELD tracking beacons the Quin-Jet may have on it."

"Sure thing."

"They're spending the night in a motel- so Bucky must be having a rough night- and… Bucky shot Kristen. Twice. Non-fatal." Clint held out his hand and both Banner _and_ Stark grumbled as they each fished a twenty out of their wallets to pay up, "Nat also wants us to have JARVIS look into something."

"I am currently attempting to recover satellite data on Miss Samantha's cell phone to determine where she called Miss Kristen from. The data is quite corrupted, so Miss Natasha's search will take some time." JARVIS warned.

"That's fine. Looks like the doc mentioned something about how we're working even when the world doesn't see it- Natasha thinks it's worth checking that out in conjunction with the Norn. Maybe Verdandi's been operating behind the scenes. JARVIS, Nat says to check SHIELD files- if she's popped up at all, they'd probably know."

"Start with the oldest stuff- case files, personnel lists, anything out of the ordinary. This _thing_ relies on a lot of mythology to hide herself, I'm betting she'd jump ship once they got too good at tracking her movements and keeping video." Steve suggested.

Tony waved as he wandered out of the room, "Don't hold your breath- it'll take a long time for JARVIS to go through-"

"I believe I may have found something."

Tony spun around and popped a blueberry (from god knows where) into his mouth, "Of course you did, I made you to exceed expectations." He made a quick face at Steve's smug expression, "Even my own."

The television in the lounge clicked on and an old document file appeared, quickly followed by others. Text files from the earliest forms of computing, "In 1982 Director Peggy Carter ordered an investigation into a mysterious object discovered at an archaeological dig in Scotland. The object, described as a metal box of unknown origin-"

"Ruh-roh." Clint sat up straighter.

"-could be seen by roughly 10% of those who approached it and could not be opened, though scans revealed it was hollow and contained something with a long metal handle and sharply curved blade."

"A scythe." Steve rubbed his eyes, "What happened? Did SHIELD get it?"

Another file popped up, this one a personnel listing, "The investigation was handled by one of SHIELD's original Agents. She reported back that the box was nothing of consequence, though both she _and_ it were never seen again. The woman in question was Agent Vera Daniels-Norton, listed as a High-Priority Asset. Incidentally, that is the same title Hydra gave James Barnes."

"Vera Daniels-Norton. Verdandi the Norn." Steve was stunned, but not exactly surprised.

"Then Verdandi has the Scythe, not Skuld." Banner hesitated, then scooted back from the maps he and Steve were pouring over, "She used SHIELD to get the Scythe, then used Samantha to get Skuld her swords back… So what is she trying to use us for?"

Steve didn't even look up, "It doesn't matter. This is our best chance to find Samantha."

"Yeah, so Verdandi and Skuld can get their hands on her."

"I don't care!" Steve shouted at Tony. He glared up at his friend, "It's the only lead we have, and I'm not giving it up."

"And if finding Samantha means handing her over to Skuld and Verdandi? Steve, _this proves they've teamed up_! We're not dealing with a good Norn and a bad Norn, we've got _two of them_ using us for their own ends! Until we have the swords under our roof we can't risk rescuing Samantha! That just plays into their plan!"

Steve abruptly began scooping up the maps. He tucked the book into a pouch on his pant leg as Banner, Clint, and Tony watched. He wasn't listening, he wasn't giving up, and he certainly wasn't discussing it further.

* * *

The Norn watched Captain America storm away to the private office within his apartment, maps and printouts in tow. Verdandi's book was meant to do far more than lead them to Samantha, and it looked like it was performing its task admirably as a wedge was driven between the strategist and his friends. They were weaker divided, and it was going to be that much easier to lay claim to the Swords.

Verdandi hated lying. It was easy and basic and offered little in the way of personal gratification. She'd lived too long for anything simple. Her preference was to _bend_ the truth. Give them just enough to let them hang themselves before they even knew they'd lost the ground beneath their feet. She'd broken her own rule when she gave that book to Steve.

" _I lost her. Many, many years ago._ " And she'd found Skuld almost immediately after. " _If she surfaces, you will find yourself against a force you cannot hope to overcome._ " If her sister surfaced then it meant the next phase of her plan was ready to begin. " _I will need your assistance to end this in a favorable way_." But favorable to _whom_ , she'd never said.

Half-truths gave Verdandi an edge against her enemies that she had always relished, it was a way to make them work _for_ her, rather than against her. The lie she'd told Steve though cheapened that, and now that the other Avengers were figuring it out she almost felt relieved.

" _Your woman has no place in this fight, and is of no use to me._ "

As if.

* * *

**Note:** It's come to my attention that at some point I forgot to post a chapter, so if you get weird notifications about old chapters being re-posted, it's because I'm going to go back and add it in where it belongs, then re-number and update the other chapters (but not re-post all of them. The numbering will just be weird for a little bit). Basically somehow I missed posting the chapter where Charles has a goon tell Loki he's not allowed to lay a hand on Samantha because she's classified as a Hydra-Ally. Loki makes a comment about how she's Cap's girlfriend and that gets Charles in hot water which is _why_ he was in Bryn Mawr trying to prove his loyalty by killing Ten and as many Avengers as he could.

I've referenced the chapter, so when I post it the Samantha scenes should make a little more sense.


	30. Chapter 29

** Chapter 29 **

Step 1: Find a strip of highway between two cities at least 50 miles apart.

Step 2: Find the third fleabag motel outside of either city. No one stays at these. A poor traveler's first impulse is to stop just outside the city limits- that way they're still close by. Their second impulse is to stop at the 2nd-to-last motel, it tends to be a bit cheaper. Rarely does anyone stop at the third.

Step 3: The motel should have at least 2 letters out on the sign, if there even is one. It should be the kind of place where the main office is detached, there are no covered hallways, and the one or two cars in the parking lot either belong to politicians sneaking in a quick end-of-day fuck with their assistant or a hooker and her john. If one of the cars is a semi, that's even better. The kind of place where you bring your own sheets for safety sake, try desperately to ignore the itching of bedbugs crawling across your skin as you feign sleep, and absolutely, under no circumstances, make your presence known to your neighbor, because they're probably a pimp or a murderer or both. The ideal motel is pay-by-the-hour, and you'll pay enough to make sure management's pulse doesn't even race when they hear a blood-curdling scream in the middle of the night.

Step 3: Send in Bucky or Sam to pay for the rooms- the Ghost no one knows is even an Avenger and the only member of the team who's always worn goggles that cover half their face.

Step 4: Rent out half the rooms in the place for the night, pay generously for an entire end of the motel. Buy however many rooms you need to make sure no one parks in front of your area- or else they'll hit an invisible Quin-Jet and that isn't a conversation you want to have with the insurance company.

Steps 5 – 42 dealt with security precautions, namely the placement and activation sequence of a handful of devices from Tony Stark's new motel-defense line.

Bucky watched over Kristen while Natasha and Sam worked through the checklist. His nerves were on edge, he twitched at every little sound, and a few times he let himself daydream about just strangling the doctor while she was asleep and dealing with the fallout later. Surely they could find the Swords without her, right? She was a complication they didn't need, either a Hydra spy or someone with another evil organization they hadn't even thought of yet. Hell, for all he knew she was working for the Norn. Samantha would forgive him- right? He could convince the others it was another broken line of thought, more side effects of the electroshock Hydra subjected him to. They'd just tell her that it was Hydra who killed Kristen and he could still be her friend…

 _Samantha went out of her way to help you, dickhead._ His own voice stopped him as his hands twitched, _She was willing to lie to Steve just to make sure you got a break, and you're thinking about how to explain away killing her only family just because you feel like it? You hate Samantha that much? She chose to be tortured by Loki_ just _so you all would have the time to find her, she used her own blood to hide a plea for Kristen, and you want to honor her sacrifice by not only destroying the only sure lead you have on the Swords, but you want to murder the sister? She's going out of her way because she trusts the Avengers, because she and Steve trust you, and you can't be bothered to guard one little prisoner?_

"Don't worry, I am here as well," Thor's voice cut through Bucky's thoughts and he jumped slightly. Kristen was watching him, noticeably disturbed by the look in his eyes. He didn't even notice her wake up, he was so transfixed on trying to talk the Winter Soldier out of killing her. Thor was sitting on another cot nearby with Sidhe's journal- the book Sam had been reading from earlier- on his lap, "James, are you alright?"

"I'm fine." Bucky pushed back from the cot and stormed over to the ramp of the ship, "I'm going to go see if the others are done yet."

Once he'd left, Thor stood and brought a cup of water to the girl on the cot, "It's alright, he was not going to harm you."

"Thanks," Kristen took a sip of water to wet her dry throat, "but I think he already did enough for one day." She winced as the stitches in her shoulder tugged.

"Tomorrow we will rendezvous with Heimdall. I will send Tyr a copy of all we have learned, and he will send medicines from Asgard to aid you in your healing. By tomorrow evening, all shall be well."

"Thank you. Again." Thor nodded. Something seemed to be weighing on him, something big and heavy that stifled the man's usual cheer and certainty. Kristen had a feeling she knew exactly what that was, "I know you had a lot of chances over the years- especially since the New Mexico thing- to kill Loki… Even with what- with what he's doing right now… I don't blame you for holding on to hope. There is nothing wrong with trying to find a way to save someone instead of killing them."

Thor smiled slightly, "The more we learn, the more it seems I may have inadvertently set Lady Samantha upon the path that led to the Swords of Skuld. Somehow the bit of Mjolnir that is still Laevateinn called out, and that call passed from the hammer to Steven's shield, from it to him, and from him to her. If I'd stayed in Asgard, this may not have happened. I am, at least in part, responsible. Until I can apologize to Samantha, I will apologize to her sister. First for letting Loki live, and then for bringing this down upon you both."

Kristen looked at the wall and a tear slid down her cheek, "When Samantha was five she had this teacher who decided- for no apparent reason- to throw out the curriculum and teach about dinosaurs and archaeology. He'd do stuff like that all the time- the class learned to read a year before they were supposed to, they _built_ a playhouse to donate to a church- he was amazing. Anyways, one day he decides to dig up the sandbox in the kindergarten playground, bury a bunch of plastic stegosaurus bones he bought at some museum in New York, and then make a grid and do this big archaeological dig. The kids used little paintbrushes to dust away the sand and find the bones, they had play cameras to take pictures of their find, and they drew pictures of what they found and which grid they found it in."

She laughed, "Samantha was hooked. We were passed around from home to home, but in one, when she was ten and I was about thirteen, they let us do extra chores for money. A couple dollars if we vacuumed or washed the windows, more for bigger jobs. I busted my ass the week before her birthday and managed to save up enough to buy her the movie 'Stargate'. It's about archaeologists who unearth an ancient alien artifact, travel to another corner of the galaxy, and meet whole races they never knew existed- even one who tries to kill them and use the stargate to come after _this_ world. It's still her favorite movie- and one year for her birthday the Cideros bought her every season of the TV show that came from it."

Kristen met Thor's eyes once again, "So who gets the blame there? Peter Wright- the kindergarten teacher who led her first dig? Me, for buying her that movie? The Cideros who spoiled her with that TV show? If you want to assign blame to anyone, Thor, you need to start and _end_ with Loki. _He_ took her. _He's_ torturing her right now. If you knew what he'd become, you'd have killed him- right?" Thor nodded, ashamed, "Then don't beat yourself up. You can't see the future, neither of us can."

"Someone could… How long do you think the Norn have been planning this?" Thor's question was honest, open.

"According to that book? Thirty thousand years, give or take, but you have to wonder how much _they_ even knew about what was coming."

"Can I tell you a secret? One that has been whispered from generation to generation of my family?" Kristen nodded, suddenly concerned for Thor. He seemed genuinely distressed, "King Aegir the Grave of Asgard, husband of the Dark Commander Sidhe… He and I are of the same blood." Thor looked down at Mjolnir, "This hammer- the blade contained within it- has a greater tie to my family than I ever realized."

Kristen glanced to Mjolnir and shivered, "What do you mean?"

"Valkyrie are allowed to marry, if they reach a certain rank. All of the most elite are encouraged to have families of their own. Who fights more fiercely than a parent?" Thor sighed, "King Aegir had a son by his first Queen, his successor- King Asmund the Great. Aegir murdered his Queen to marry Sidhe, and with her he fathered a child- the Valkyrie Herja, who apparently acted as High Commander in the Great Valkyrie War."

Thor looked down at the book in his hands, "To cement their bond- probably so Sidhe could continue to use Aegir and his forces- Asmund was married to one of the Valkyrie Generals… Asmund's Queen died shortly after he took the throne from Aegir. He never recovered from the heartbreak and was alone throughout his days. Asmund was a noble and righteous king- one my father is honored to be compared with. Officially, he died without a child of his own, and left the throne to his cousin. Two more generations of rulers sat upon the throne- weak willed but good _enough_ \- before my ancestors rose up and took power. Then the Norn rose from the grave…"

"Asmund's queen had a baby before she died?" Thor nodded, "Why didn't Asmund leave the throne to him?"

"According to my father, the reason we've kept this secret for so long was so that our line- Asmund's line- would not be tainted with the blood of King Aegir. As much as the people loved him, they _hated_ his father. Asmund decided it was better that the throne pass to someone else."

"That makes no sense," Kristen knew already what upset Thor, but she prompted him all the same. It was certainly a time for the bizarre, and that was precisely what he had up his sleeve.

The prince nodded and touched the handle of the hammer. He flipped open Sidhe's journal and read aloud from somewhere near the end, " _I spent too much effort controlling Skuld and that damned Verdandi, I did not see Urda's treachery. She has always been the most complacent of those monsters- it was her I intended to leave the throne to! I, the founder of the Valkyrie Empire, and she the first Queen. That bitch betrayed me. I sold her horrid little sister to secure Aegir's loyalty to_ her _throne, and she turned around and helped Asmund strike his father down. The Norn must be destroyed, before they join Asmund and Verdandi to overthrow_ me _next. I still have a great deal of control over them, but my own time is limited. Herja must be the one to carry on my legacy. With the God's blessing, she will be the one to guarantee this Empire._ "

"Asmund _and_ Verdandi," Kristen repeated. She matched Thor's sigh this time, "That's why he hid the child away- _their_ child. Half-Norn, the only being in the Realms other than those three who carried the blood. And Urda's sword made Asmund king."

"Then the Norn rise from the dead as soon as one of their bloodline sat upon the throne."

"Maybe that's why Verdandi agreed to train you and your father?" Kristen wasn't entirely convinced. Based on what they'd read of Tyr's vision it didn't sound likely to Thor either.

"Perhaps. More troubling is that it's possible that somehow _I_ called out to the Swords of Skuld." Again he examined the hammer, "I am the first of my line to wield Mjolnir. The only descendant of the Norn this blade has ever seen… Perhaps I woke something within it."

"Are we having a blame contest again? If so, know that I'm _highly_ competitive." Kristen reached out (then winced as she remembered there was a hole in her arm) and patted Thor's hand, "Something tells me we won't know _why_ Samantha found those Swords until the Norn want us to. Either it was whatever trace of Verdandi still exists in your veins, or the radiation from Mjolnir passing all the way to Samantha, or something you haven't even figured out yet."

"You may be competitive, Lady Gunvald, but there is no denying it is _my_ hammer, _my_ brother, and evidently _my_ ancestress who caused all of this."

"And it will be _Samantha's_ sister, _Samantha's_ boyfriend, and _Samantha's_ friends who put an end to it before Skuld's plan can advance. Whatever big campaign the Norn think they're launching, it can be in hell. I don't care who stacked the deck- I don't care what happened in the past or who your family might be. All that matters is what's coming and what we can do to stop it."

Thor sighed, "Then where is our next stop? Where is the next place on your list we might find the Swords?"

"Kingston. We'll hit that before lunch- we're only a short hop away." Kristen smiled slightly, "Natasha picked a great place to touch down for the night. After that, Cohasset, Massachusetts." We might be able to hit Medford before bedtime, and then we're halfway through the list."

"When will you tell us what you heard on Samantha's call?" Thor smiled, "When we have the Swords?"

Kristen thought through it carefully, "Maybe. I'm sorry Thor, you've trusted me with a big secret, but I can't trust you with this one. Not yet. I won't risk you or JARVIS sharing mine with the other Avengers. I won't be sidelined. I have to be part of this, I have to be there for Samantha."

"Do not worry, I understand," Thor expected her answer, but he also figured it was at least worth asking. Kristen stifled a yawn and Thor smiled, "Rest, doctor. Thank you for listening so well. I-" he glanced down at Sidhe's journal, "I had to tell someone."

"It's what I do," Kristen smiled. "You can trust me. I won't tell them."

"I can only hope so."

* * *


	31. Chapter 30

** Chapter 30 **

Bucky was walking down the corridor again. He was dreaming- he knew he was dreaming- but it was like his brain was pumping pure adrenaline. Some small part of him whispered that this was dangerous- that something wasn't right with the dream-that-wasn't-a-dream and a sense of dread filled his stomach. A nauseous, repetitive dread born of frustration and desperation and _rage_. But he couldn't fight it, all he could do was press on.

Behind him, two upper-level SHIELD agents lay dead in the kitchen. Before him? Someone else was in the house, hiding in the little coat closet by the stairs. The Winter Soldier walked down the hall, but Bucky Barnes walked with him, a passenger in his own nightmare. His mission was to eliminate the agents and make it look like some kind of accident, he couldn't do that if there was a witness.

He put his hand on the doorknob, tightened his grip on the knife in his left hand, and smoothed out the hallway carpet in front of the door so that it would open quickly. The Winter Soldier took a deep breath, turned the knob, ripped the door open, swung his knife, and-

Embedded the blade in the neck of a very surprised child.

She couldn't have been old enough even for school yet- her tiny hands were clasped around a teddy bear, her blond hair was up in thin little pigtails, and she wore a frilly pink dress covered in tiny hearts. The Winter Soldier- Bucky- stared at her, horrified, as she looked up at him with the same expression. A tear fell down her cheek, but she made no sound. Her mouth opened and her body twitched as though she were trying to breathe.

He was so surprised he stepped back away from her, drawing the blade from her throat. Blood sprayed out the side and the child fell. The Winter Soldier was conditioned to never cry, to let nothing affect him. The all-consuming panic and grief that coursed through him was alien, unfathomable to Hydra's weapon. He fell to his knees and caught her as she dropped, clamped his metal hand over the wound, and pushed as hard as he could to stop the flow of blood- but it was too late.

The SHIELD agents were a married couple, that was the only intel he'd been given. He never knew they had a child. That this was a family vacation… and now he'd killed that family.

Bucky held the girl long after her eyes turned glassy and her lips blue. He kept cradling the child as though he could protect her from the world and the monsters within it.

Monsters like the one who put a knife through her throat.

* * *

At this point, if Bucky so much as changed breathing patterns, Sam woke up and checked on him. Too many times he'd ignored new sounds only to have a gun leveled at his eyes (or a fondue fork) and a supersoldier straddling his chest. If he found Bucky pointing a gun at _himself_? Well, that was a hell of a lot scarier, but not exactly rare.

Given how Bucky had been that evening (no one, supersoldier included, should do that many push-ups before bed), they'd elected to lock the ammo and firearms on the Quin-Jet, but even when he was 100% on board with it, the Winter Soldier was next to impossible to disarm.

Not to mention, you know, the arm.

Sam wasn't sure why he woke up this time. The room was pitch black, Bucky's breath from the adjacent bed seemed even and slow, and to Sam's practiced ear nothing was amiss. He glanced at the clock- 3:30 in the morning. Wake up call was 5, he was tired as hell, and his body begged him to remain in the warm, soft sheets they'd brought. Even his- well, to put it delicately, the injury Dr. Gunvald's knee so _expertly_ inflicted wasn't as sore anymore.

So why was he awake?

Ignoring instinct when it came to Bucky Barnes was never a good idea, and it _always_ bit you in the ass later on, so Sam decided to get the inevitable over with and clicked on the lamp between their beds.

_Aanndd Bucky's not there._

Validated, Sam turned the lamp to max and rubbed his eyes as he forced himself up into a sitting position, "Dude, just don't go jumping on me." He mumbled, "I hate waking up to a wrestling match."

A gun went off not far from Sam's head and he flipped over the side of the bed, cursing, "NEVERMIND! A WRESTLING MATCH IS JUST FINE!" Sam Jr. didn't like these kinds of dramatics and began to throb painfully. _Damn doctor._

"Sorry," Bucky's low voice was strained, "I couldn't get the tie off cleanly."

So not only was Bucky armed, but he'd zip-tied his own weapon against himself. That was a fun recipe.

Sam slid up slowly, ears ringing. Bucky sat against the wall next to his bed and carefully set aside his knife and the strip of plastic that kept the trigger of his gun from being pulled, "Hey buddy."

Bucky didn't answer. He was staring at the gun without the usual intense rage or guilt- like he was simply tired and sad.

"Whatcha doing?" Again, Bucky said nothing. He'd apologized for accidentally discharging the weapon, just to let Sam know he didn't need to be nervous. He drew his knees up towards his chest and rested his wrists on top of them, bringing the gun closer to his face. Sam's heart hammered painfully, "Hey, there's no reason for that." Sam approached him slowly and knelt in front of Bucky, "You better put that thing away before Natasha gets in here," he slid a hand into his pocket and tapped the comm unit he kept there enough to call Natasha. Within seconds he heard her door opening, "She'll kick your ass if she thinks you need any more of that 'cognitive recalibration' she's so fond of."

His eyes were still locked ahead, still sad, and nothing about his demeanor changed, so Sam slowly reached over and put a hand on the gun. He was expecting a relatively easy night- slide the gun away and Bucky breaks down crying, Sam sits with him for a while until the man's out of tears (or he's booted from the room in favor of Natasha), then talk through things until it's time to board the jet. As soon as his hand touched the gun, Bucky grabbed him and flung Sam across the room. He slammed into the wall just as Natasha opened the door.

"Спящий, солдат!" Bucky with a gun _and_ Bucky flinging Sam around rooms were the only acceptable times to use his shutdown trigger. His face didn't even twitch as he threw Sam, and now it was like he wasn't hearing her words. It happened- rarely- but Natasha tried again, "Спящий, солдат!"

"That's not going to work this time." He whispered and raised the gun to his head, "I'm sorry Nat, I'm so sorry." A tear slid down his eye.

"Sam!" she glanced behind her, but he'd had the same idea and was already gone.

_Hurry._

* * *

"Something's wrong." Kristen jerked awake- this time to find Sam by her side. Thor had set aside his notebook where he was finishing up a long letter to Tyr, "I need your help."

"What happened?" with his help, Kristen managed to get into a sitting position and gingerly stepped off the cot. Sam scrambled to lift her IVs and brought them along as Thor scooped Kristen up without question. The three rushed out of the Quin-Jet.

It was the last hours of night, maybe 4am, and two lights were on in the motel. One in Sam and Bucky's room, the other in Natasha's. The original plan was for Nat to watch Kristen while Thor was on standby in case Bucky acted out, but when his 'quick letter' turned into a small novella they adjusted. Sam was glad for that- if only because it put her right next to him on the front line. He was limping slightly, staggering, but moving as fast as he could. If anyone could buy them time, it was Natasha.

"He had a rough time getting to sleep- did about a thousand pushups to burn steam- but then he was fine. Usually he's tossing and turning all night before an episode like this. He went quiet around eleven, I fell asleep not long after, and I just woke to-"

"Tell me he isn't armed."

"He's armed." Natasha backed out of the room, but she didn't break eye contact with the scene inside, "He's got his sidearm. He's only watching it for now, but he won't talk to me."

"When I tried to take it he just about threw me across the room. Nat tried using the knockout trigger, but it isn't working." Sam stopped just out of sight.

"Put me down here." Kristen ground her teeth as her weight transferred on to her injured hip. She looked at the Avengers around her, "Don't worry. I need you all to stay out here. You can listen at the door, but under no circumstances are you to come inside, got it?" She didn't move until each nodded in affirmative. Kristen took several deep breaths and glanced into the doorway. Her shoulders squared and she stepped inside with Bucky.

He was sitting on the floor with his back against the wall. His bed was in disarray, and a table was broken near the door where Sam had crashed. Just as Sam said, in his hand was a large black gun. He was staring at it, not blinking, and his human hand shook. The safety was off.

"Hey, drama king, mind if I sit?" Kristen's voice was jarring against the tension. Sam wasn't exactly sure _teasing_ a suicidal man was the right call. Bucky wasn't speaking, but this was different than the other times Sam had to talk him down- this time there weren't any flickers of the Winter Soldier in his mind, just pure defeat.

"Stay back."

"Not happening. See, this asshole shot me earlier, so I kind of have to sit." She grabbed a couple of the motel pillows from where they'd been discarded when the Avengers brought in their own gear and tossed them near Bucky's feet. His hand tightened on the gun and Bucky rotated the barrel towards his face, "Dude, what the hell? You hate me that much? I figured after you _shot me_ we'd at least be- well, on better terms than you killing yourself because I sit down."

"I don't want to talk. You can't stop me." His voice was low and without emotion.

"Blah, blah, blah. I'm sitting down. Here- hold the gun in your left hand." Kristen put her hands on her (upper) hips when he didn't obey, "Do. It. I'm going to sit down, and we both know no one can get it from you in time if it's in that hand- Thor included."

Kristen didn't wait for him to obey, but before she eased herself down across from him Bucky had transferred the gun, "Hold it up to your head, if that makes you feel better." Again, he obeyed, "Now, before you shoot yourself, care to share why?"

"I've done… too much…"

"Yeah, so?"

"This is the right thing to do."

"Yeah, so?"

Bucky glared at her, "You wouldn't understand."

"Maybe, maybe not." Kristen was noncommittal, "Look, you don't want me going down for killing you, right? We've got our issues, but you're not heartless." Bucky let out a sour laugh, "Give me a motive to pass on to Steve, because he's going to be out for blood and his blame is going to fall squarely on the shrink who didn't stop you."

Bucky's eyes darted to the door. He couldn't see the Avengers just outside, but he knew they were there. He couldn't bare Natasha knowing what he'd done, but maybe it'd make things easier for her when he… when he surrendered. "I killed-" his voice broke, "I killed a kid."

Kristen made a face and shook her head, "No you didn't."

"Yes I did. She was so little… still holding her bear… I stabbed her in the neck." A tear slid down Bucky's head and his metal hand tightened on the gun.

"No you didn't."

"How the hell would you know?" Bucky snapped.

Kristen sighed, "It's been a hell of a week, right? You've been trying to solve a 30,000 year old puzzle _and_ fill in the blanks from your Winter Soldier days. Sometimes when you try to force your memories your brain just makes shit up."

"You don't know." Bucky glowered at her, "You couldn't even begin to-"

"-to understand. Yeah. We've done this part already." Kristen raised an eyebrow, "How about we make a deal: I'm going to walk you through it, you just answer my questions and then I'll let you shoot yourself. If you're going to kill yourself over something, might as well make sure it's real, right?"

Bucky swallowed. The doctor's words wormed their way into his head and he finally consented, "Fine."

"Okay, close your eyes." Bucky shot another look to the door. Kristen glanced back and sighed, "Put your human hand on the floor and you'll be able to feel it if they try to come in- _which they won't_ -" she directed that to the three Avengers outside. "Come on." He put his hand on the floor, but made no move to close his eyes. Kristen _tisked_ and put her thumbs on his forehead, right above his eyebrows, and slid them gently down so that she pinned his eyelids over his eyes. Her other fingers rested on his temple. Natasha peered in from the door and noticed Kristen softly changing pressure- on one hand from the upper fingers to lower while the other hand went in the opposite direction, "Alright, you stubborn jackass, first question- what color were her eyes?"

"What?" Bucky lowered the gun a fraction of an inch, but it was still primed to fire at his temple.

"Were they blue? Green? Brown?" Natasha saw Kristen swirl one of her thumbs very subtly against his eyelid, "Hazel?"

"Hazel." Bucky breathed.

Kristen slid her thumbs down to rest on either side of Bucky's nose, but continued the gentle pattern with her fingers, "Her nose now- was it narrow?" she traced the bridge of his nose with the wide part of her thumb.

"Yes."

"No it wasn't, _focus Bucky_." She rubbed her finger to the side.

He could barely feel what she was doing, but it helped- the girl's nose solidified in his mind, "Medium."

"Good. Now, her cheeks." Again, Kristen's hands went where she was asking, "Were the bones high or low?" she rested her thumbs just under his own cheekbones.

"High."

"Lips- thin or thick?" she stuttered her finger against his cheek-applying just the faintest of pressure pulses on the first word.

"Thin." Kristen nodded. The gun slid down another couple of inches.

Kristen remained focused on Bucky, but she relaxed slightly, "What color was her hair? Red? Blond-"

"Yes."

"Hey now, let me get the question out. Don't lock on until you've heard the whole thing. As I was saying- Black? Dyed? Burgundy?" The way she said the last word sounded to Natasha as though she'd started to say 'brown' and changed halfway though.

"Brown." Natasha knew what the doctor was doing now- she was tapping pressure points, adjusting her hands, and giving verbal cues- she was directing Bucky's memories where _she_ wanted them. The repetitive pressure of her other fingers was drawing and keeping the attention of his periphery senses, luring his mind into a gentle complacent state.

"Brown hair, hazel eyes, thick lips, medium cheekbones, narrow nose." Kristen changed several of his answers, but she also scrambled the order. His mind was floating, he was breaking down and didn't catch the trick, "Now pull back. Picture the whole thing at once." Bucky breathed a ragged sigh, "Your dream said you stabbed her? That's just your brain covering for what really happened. How did she really die?"

"I- her neck-" the girl's eyes stared up at him in his memory, "I broke her neck."

"That's not what you usually do," Kristen slowly dropped her hands onto her knees, "why go for a personal kill like that?"

"They were going to hurt her." He sighed and opened his eyes, "What they had planned… Skinning, beating, boiling her alive-"

"You were being a hero."

"I could have fought them," tears ran down Bucky's cheek. The gun arm fell, "I could have done something to get her out."

Kristen reached up and slapped Bucky across the face- _hard_. He jerked back and hit his head against the wall, surprised. The doctor leveled him with a glare, "Could you have stopped that?"

"What?"

"You could have. You're a supersoldier, right?" Kristen crossed her arms, "You totally could have caught that. Why didn't you?"

"I wasn't- I didn't expect you to _hit_ me. What the hell kind of doctor are you?!"

Kristen slapped him again, _hard_. "Why didn't you stop that one then? You can't tell me you didn't know it was coming. Hindsight is 20/20. Looking back, you're always going to have more options than looking forward. Got it? Don't dwell on what you could have changed, because the fact of the matter is that it's impossible to plan for the worst to any significant degree. You didn't have time to save her. I'm betting Hydra knew you were waking up- they'd have taken that from you before you could actually mount a rescue. You did what you had to do. I'm sure if that girl-"

"Nadya."

"- _Nadya_. She'd get it. She couldn't have expected more- just like you shouldn't expect more of yourself now."

Bucky's laugh was forced, "Aren't you going to tell me it wasn't my fault? Doctor Cho likes that one."

Kristen lightly picked up the gun from his lap and flicked the safety back on. She slid it behind her towards the door where Sam retrieved it, "It wasn't your fault," she raised her eyebrows, "But it _is_ your responsibility. It doesn't matter if you killed and 80 year old or a 14 year old, a sinner or a saint, you make up for their deaths by doing everything in your power to right every last wrong- and killing yourself is nothing more than a cowards way out. Do what you set out to do- turn the Winter Soldier from a _villain_ and a _victim_ into a hero."

She stood up stiffly, not that Bucky was paying attention. Her words had finally _really_ reached him. He was staring blankly ahead, but this time he mulled them over. There would be no more violent episodes- at least not tonight. "Now, before you kill _me_ , stop being dramatic. I've got two gunshot wounds, I need sleep and you aren't getting in the way of that. You're coming back on the ship with me to help Thor work on his special edition of 'War and Peace' for Tyr. Got it?"

Kristen didn't wait for a reply. She stood up and walked purposefully out of the room, leaving a stunned and confused Bucky behind her. Outside, Sam caught her and tipped her into Thor's side. He put an arm under her and helped her remain vertical.

"What the hell did you do?" Sam was amazed. Even Bucky looked like he couldn't tell what the hell just happened.

"Listen- what I just did, it's only going to work this once, and you _can't_ talk about it again. Thor- when he gets on the ship, hit him with a low-level sedative. Enough to knock him out _slowly_."

"You planted a fake memory." Natasha was amazed.

"No, I redirected an old one. Think hypnosis and you aren't far off." Kristen looked troubled, "His facial muscles hitched on blue eyes, narrow nose, high cheeks, thin lips, and blond hair. I'm the one who changed his mind, but sooner or later he's going to remember the truth."

Sam glanced inside, "You gave him a false lead."

"I buried whatever he remembered, but he's going to figure that out eventually. He said he killed a kid- something like that doesn't stay quiet for long. He'll remember everything- and once he does it all goes to shit. He'll never trust me again."

"What do we do?" Natasha was determined to protect Bucky- even from himself.

"Don't mention anything from tonight. Just let it pass. Don't let his mind dwell on it, distract him for the next few days, but not obviously. Got it?" Kristen nodded and Thor helped her stagger ahead, "And please, for my sake, don't tell Doctor Cho about what I just did. It was highly questionable, ethically speaking. I do actually care about my professional reputation."

"Anything you say," Sam nodded.

"We owe you for this," Natasha agreed.

Kristen hesitated, then tapped Thor's arm to get him to stop. She ground her bare foot into the sidewalk for a moment, thinking, then called back, "A Carillion and a tornado siren."

"What?" Sam frowned.

"What I heard when Samantha called me. A Carillion and a tornado siren. It's not hard to look up storm data online. There were ten tornado sirens across the Eastern side of the USA in cities that also have Carillions, coinciding with when the call came in." Kristen swallowed hard, "You trusted me enough to let me save someone you all love. All I'm asking for is the same in return."

"Fair enough." Natasha nodded to Thor and he helped lead the girl away. "You should go with them, have the med suit check you out for internal injuries," Natasha squeezed Sam's shoulder lightly and went into the room to help Bucky pull himself together and load out onto the Quin-Jet.

Sam looked from Natasha and Bucky to Kristen and Thor and sighed. They'd been on their mission for all of a day and he'd been kneed, thrown into a wall, their guide had been shot _twice_ by an Avenger who was teetering on the edge of a massive psychotic break, and that wasn't even the worst of what they were dealing with. Now enemies might not quite be enemies and one Norn might be good while the other one wants to rule the world and hell, for all he knew dogs and cats were best friends and sitcoms were funny again. The world was falling more and more out of whack with every second.

He turned his eyes to the stars above and shook his head, "Hey, if you're listening, I'd really appreciate it if today doesn't end up being as bad as yesterday. Just give us a day to mellow out, please?"

There was, of course, no response from the sky and so Sam hung his head and trudged off after Thor and Kristen. He set his bare foot onto the concrete of the parking lot and noticed with a start there was a rusty nail sticking point-up less than an inch away from his foot. He took a second to study his surroundings before walking (much slower) towards the ship again.

_That probably just ate up the entire Avengers 'good-luck' allotment for the damn day._

He couldn't have been more wrong, because this was the day they'd find both Samantha and the Swords of Skuld.


	32. Chapter 31

This is the last big brick of exposition you're getting in "Valkyrie Wars", I promise. We're nearing the finale, but this clears up a LOT of stuff. The Avengers are finally going to separate the mythology from the fact and the Norn will be in ultra-sharp focus soon, I promise :)

I apologize for how slow the chapters have been coming out, but there's been a lot of upheaval lately that I am dealing with. My mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and already has had surgeries and begins Chemo soon, so I'm taking care of her and my dad more often than not. I'll get chapters out as often as I can, but not at the expense of family time. The cancer was caught early and her prognosis is excellent, but still... If you pray, prayers would be most welcome. If you don't, just good thoughts would go a long way. If you or a loved one has been through this and you can give me any tips on how to help her out or products/recipes/anything that I can do or get her to make my mother's life easier during all of this, please let me know!

~xoxo  
-Ten

* * *

** Chapter 31 **

Thor left as the first glow of dawn touched the horizon. His report was finished, Bucky's head was bobbing as he fought the exhaustion a mixture of sedatives and stress brought, and Kristen's condition was deteriorating, mostly thanks to the fact that she hadn't been able to rest (in a proper hospital). The first hint of a fever touched her brow, she kept her eyes closed tight against the pain, and a cold sweat clung to her. Nothing Asgardian medicine could not fix in moments, but there was also no reason to delay his trip further. If he arrived early, Tyr and his father would surely respond quickly to his summons.

He gathered his papers, promised Natasha and Sam he would return within a few hours, and walked away from the ship. At an adequate distance he called out to his friend, "HEIMDALL! OPEN THE BIFROST!"

At first, everything seemed as usual. Wind whipped up around him instantaneously, there was a rush of adrenaline as the world vanished beneath his feet, stars whipped past him in the void, but instead of stepping out onto the golden floor of the Bifrost landing, the world went silent. Stars still shone as streaks around him, in the distance he could see a nebula not far off, and the tunnel of light before him surely led to Asgard, but nothing moved. There was no sound. No wind. Nothing.

Well, almost nothing.

When Thor turned around (more to see if he could move than anything), he came face-to-helm with a blind Valkyrie in red-gold armor. Verdandi.

He could feel her eyes inspecting him, even though they were impossible to see. Thor hesitated, then jumped back from her, Mjolnir at the ready. He didn't know if it would work in this timeless place, but still he wound it up, "What do you want?"

"To _talk_. That is all. I am but a mirage, you cannot harm me." Verdandi's head turned slightly towards Mjolnir and she held out her own hand, "Laevateinn!" The hammer snapped out of Thor's hand, launching itself at the Norn. She caught it easily by the handle and brought the hammer up towards her face, "It is good to see you, old friend." Verdandi whipped her arm down. As her hand lowered, Mjolnir rippled and the metal swung outwards as if it were folded cloth. It unraveled and by the time her arm was at her side, Verdandi held not a hammer, but a great broadsword. The handle of Mjolnir was only part of the guard, when the last layer of metal rippled out towards the tip of the sword, an elegant cross guard was exposed- a guard marked with the sigil of the Norn.

Thor's heart was pounding in his ears. They did not know who held the Scythe, who put this entire fiasco into motion, and now his hammer was in the hands of a Norn.

"Does this mean I am worthy?" It was a strange feeling- that Thor could _sense_ Verdandi's expression. Everything save her jaw, nose, and forehead was covered, yet he knew she raised an eyebrow and her hidden eyes glinted with a teasing spark, "Or does it just mean that Laevateinn's loyalty to a Norn is greater than the charm King Odin placed upon it?" She held the guard up to her lips and whispered to it. A wave of power ran along the sword's edge, then vanished. Verdandi tossed the sword to Thor, "There, now not only must _Mjolnir_ find you worthy, but you must be of Norn blood to wield her."

When he caught the sword it recoiled- literally. The tip of the sword bent down and it rolled towards the leather grip, flattening out as it did. Within a second, Thor held Mjolnir, once again whole.

"Well, well. Isn't _that_ interesting." Verdandi didn't bother to fake surprise, "Not wholly Norn, but not wholly Asgardian, Thor _Asmundson_."

"I know my parentage, and the poison that runs through my family tree. You said you wanted to talk," he challenged, "have you spoken your peace yet?"

"Obviously not." Verdandi turned her back on Thor and paced for a moment, deciding her next move, "If you all keep shooting around in the dark, you'll only hinder me," she faced him once again, "so I've decided to give you some clues."

"Clues?"

"For you, this all is just beginning. For me, it is the final days of something 30,000 years in the making. You can ask five questions, Prince Thor, and I will answer them honestly. No tricks, no traps."

"How do I know what you tell me is the truth?"

Verdandi crossed her arms and smirked, "You'll have to trust my intentions- and I'm proving my willingness right now by not counting that as your first question."

He had a chance to bring back real answers- if she _was_ telling the truth. They could debate it later, at the moment he had to take her at her word and report everything to Tyr and Odin, "When the Lady Samantha found the Swords, we believe she was responding to some sort of summons-"

"She was." Thor glared at Verdandi and she held up both hands, "I don't think that's worthy of being a question, do not worry. It is fairly obvious at this stage."

"Who issued the summons? You or Skuld?" the question was one Thor was proud of- her answer would tell them which Norn held the Scythe, or even if they were working together.

"Question one," Verdandi bit her lip a moment. She didn't seem nervous, it was more like she couldn't quite figure out how to proceed, "that is very complicated…"

"Do your best."

"When she was a child, Skuld could only see one future. Sometimes it was a week in advance, sometimes an hour, sometimes- like her first vision with your Captain- it's evidently 30,000 years ahead. After our so-called deaths, her powers were massively expanded. She could see every potential future, every ripple of every action she and others took. She handpicked the future she wanted, and did everything she could to bring that about. The Swords being hidden was not part of her original plan as I knew it, but I suspect she accounted for it all the same. It's quite possible the Swords issued their own summons, or Samantha's proximity as she began to dig triggered something, or even that Skuld arranged Samantha's path in some way that led her to that exact spot and kept her there as long as it took to find them."

Thor considered it, "The company who offered land for the dig, we believe, was a front. The accounts and official documents go back hundreds of years. Samantha said that when they arrived she saw an old woman who appeared to vanish as she got closer."

"Skuld is not the only Norn with magic, but she could cast a spell so that it came to fruition thousands of years later. I know the company of which you speak, I helped Skuld manage it. I directed business from the shadows many times, but Skuld also arranged for them to receive prodding notes from her directly." Verdandi nodded, "I would be more surprised if her power was not behind the recovery of the Swords."

"Who has the Scythe then?"

"Question two- I discovered the Scythe's location while working for SHIELD, claimed it, and hid it well. In the Nine Realms- and the galaxy beyond- there are none who could steal it. Even Skuld cannot get within a hundred miles of it without my knowledge."

"What happened after Skuld tried to kill Loki and I?"

Verdandi hesitated at that, "You must ask a more specific question."

"Skuld attacked you and fled, you vanished shortly after. What happened to you two between then and now that you have the Scythe and the Swords were buried?"

"Question three is much easier to answer." Verdandi forced a soft smile, but there was a sad edge to her voice, "After Skuld struck me down, I woke in the healing chambers of Asgard. Odin and Frigga offered me a choice- execute Skuld as I did Urda for her madness, stand by and allow the Valkyrie to carry the sentence out themselves, or become a true enemy of the Realms. No longer would we be mythology- they were to expose everything and set trillions of souls to hunt us down themselves. The crate you were given was made by your mother for this purpose."

"What did you choose?"

Now Thor sensed a wry smile, "You heard of us for the first time a mere week ago. I retrieved the crate for your benefit. What do you think happened? As with Urda before her, I agreed to stop Skuld. I swore an oath to your parents that I would seek her out and not return until she was dead. I broke that oath less than a year ago, when I attended the memorial for Queen Frigga and the victims of the Dark Elf attack. Your mother was one of the greatest High Commanders the Valkyrie have ever seen, if not _the_ greatest. I wanted to show my respects."

"So Skuld lives. We assumed as much."

"And you were right to. I could not kill my sister, not again, so I sent my Scythe and the Swords to Odin with a note swearing I would keep her away from Asgard. We fled to Midgard, and the madness consumed her at last. I kept her imprisoned in our home to protect the humans, but she sent me out often to help her arrange the future she was so transfixed with. She told me when and where to meet Agent Peggy Carter that I might join SHIELD, how much of our story to tell her, and put me in place to retrieve the Scythe when it was found."

"You gave the Scythe and the Swords to the Allfather, how did they come to Midgard?" Verdandi raised an eyebrow behind her helm and Thor sighed impatiently, "Answer, I agree to count it as one of my allotted questions."

"I have no idea." Verdandi answered truthfully, since she had little information to give Thor, "Maybe the tempers of your parents cooled and they understood what they had asked of me. Maybe they simply wanted to offer an olive branch or give me access to the tools I would need to destroy Skuld when I finally gave up the pathetic dream that I could save her… Maybe something else happened. Only King Odin now can provide an answer." She clasped her hands and stood tall, "Now, Thor Asmundson, ask your final question."

There was still so much they needed to know, and Thor scrambled to prioritize it all, "You called your desire to save your sister 'pathetic', and you speak of guarding her- protecting her- yet that is obviously in the past. My final question is what happened to Skuld? Specifically, does she live, how did she escape your grasp, and does she keep herself secret, or has she yet to join this fray?"

Pride was evident on Verdandi's face at Thor's final question, "The answer to that, more than the other questions combined, will prove the most valuable. Skuld tricked me into allowing her to see the world again." Verdandi's smile faded, "Then she betrayed me once more. I can tell you little, but know that Skuld is locked away as she never was before. Her magic is gone, her foresight blocked, and any move she makes now is the product of all those centuries of planning and plotting. She is seeing nothing, and if we deviate enough from the course she has laid out for us, her apocalypse will never come to pass.

"Her binding is not impervious, however. When the Swords surfaced I fear the prison was cracked. She has begun to stir. I know she managed to possess Lady Samantha for a time, but that likely took everything she had managed to recover. I felt her power again only hours ago, and I believe she struck at Loki. Skuld can only gain purchase through Samantha. She needs the Swords to be released from the box Odin sealed them in, but she does not have the power to force that herself. Loki works for a darker power, Skuld will not tolerate the Swords in his hands. If they see the light of day, the prison will crumble. My sister will not be released instantaneously, but it will be inevitable. It doesn't matter to her if it is Loki who claims the Swords- though she cannot stand him- she will rip him apart all the same to retrieve them."

"Can you not refresh the magic around her prison? Secure her more completely?"

"You misunderstand, Prince. To craft such a prison, you build a magical web of conditions that must be met before the spell can break. For a normal caster _time_ is usually a factor. For a Norn there are no such limitations. I can create a prison so complete, so pure, and so unending that whoever is trapped inside will never be found- even after their bones are dust and the galaxy crumbles around them. It is a simple enough spell."

"What did I misunderstand then?" Thor did not follow.

"Skuld knew I stayed by her side out of duty alone, and that one day that alone would not be enough. So, before I could strike, it was _she_ who created the prison. Skuld trapped herself in her own spell. _She_ controls the conditions of her release, and _she_ guaranteed the finding of the Swords would trigger the collapse of the magic. I cannot secure Skuld because I was not the one who stopped her in the first place. I am _trying_ , with all my might, to avert the future I was fooled into helping her create. Know that for many years now I have done everything I can to destroy the plans she has made. The Scythe cannot be claimed, even with Laevateinn and the Swords together, if a Norn resists the call, the magic will fail. The final phase of her plan requires that the blades be united. Without Skuld at full power, that is simple enough to stop. If she does rise, I'm not sure I will be enough to stand between her and the powers she would unleash.

"You did not ask, Prince Thor, but I will tell you all the same- the legend is true, and an army of the damned will be loosed once Skuld brings the blades together. We died with simple Valkyrie weapons in hand. I do not know what happened during the ten thousand years we were gone, but I know that our augmented powers, lifespans, and the magics contained in each blade are the result of manipulations only Skuld knows. She denied it millions of times, but I believe she is the one who arranged whatever saved us. She knows what the Swords will unleash, all I can sense in them is darkness, evil and a thirst for blood that frightens even me."

Around them the void lurched. The nebula that was once behind Thor was suddenly ahead of him, and a blast of wind stirred his cape. Verdandi was untouched by the motion- as a mirage should be. She looked around them as the scene jumped once again, "I am out of time. If you need proof of my words, tell Heimdall and Phil Coulson everything. Heimdall I trained as a child and blessed with my gift of sight- he smuggled me into Asgard to see your mother to Valhalla and I count him among my friends. I fought alongside SHIELD for decades before the Scythe appeared. Phil Coulson was adolescent and immature when I knew him, but he knew me as I am- as a Norn."

"Thor!" The scene began to speed up around them and Verdandi spoke quickly before he reached the end of his journey, "There is one last thing you must know! My power allows me to see through the eyes of any being and hear what they hear, but I cannot read minds, and I can only guess at intentions. When Skuld attacked your chambers so many centuries ago, I thought I was protecting you from her, but I was wrong! You were not her target!"

The rest of what she said was lost in an explosion of wind and lightning as Thor was thrown violently from the Bifrost. As Heimdall caught him he finished the thought for her. He was not the target of Skuld's assassination attempt as a child.

Loki was.

_What will he become that even a Norn thought it better to kill the infant than face the man?  
_


	33. Chapter 32

** Chapter 32 **

Loki watched Samantha as his guards scooped their comrades into black plastic bags. At some point a chair was brought in for him to sit on, but the would-be King paid no attention to the man who brought it. He had bigger things on his mind.

Thor's little trick with Mjolnir either didn't work, or the effects wore off. Skuld was circling Samantha once again. Her plans for the girl were without a doubt akin to his: get her to reveal the Swords location. When Samantha said she couldn't tell him, did she mean she _literally_ could not speak the words? Was Skuld sealing her lips that she might have a head start?

A week ago he was a bored king sitting on a stolen throne, following Thanos' directive to build his own quiet empire and await a signal to attack Midgard. The Norn army would be his great achievement, one to overshadow the embarrassment of the failed invasion of New York. Loki had to do what he could and trust that Thanos was watching. Skuld would join them or be cast into oblivion, but having her on the team would be as much a feather in his cap as anything else.

Loki shrugged out of his armor slowly as the cleanup crew began the arduous task of washing away their fellow soldier's blood. The blow Skuld dealt him was by no means mortal, but the longer he ignored it the weaker he would become. At least when 'Odin' met later with Thor he wouldn't need to fake the stiff movement of one past his prime.

The wound was angry, red, and hot to the touch, but that only mattered to humans. Loki flicked his wrist and produced two squares of white linen. He put one over each end of the wound and waited. Slowly, they melted into his skin, faded to match the tone, and appeared to vanish. In their place was new, smooth flesh- though that was simply an illusion. In reality the patches would be healing him from the inside out for many hours.

Verdandi appeared to Tyr- at least, if the old man was correct in his guess that she was the helpful ghost of a librarian in the Vault. Loki needed to know the lay of the board- everyone did. Until they knew why the Norn weren't acting in concert there was no way to even begin to guess at the meaning behind their little appearances and intrusions. Could Verdandi and Skuld secretly be allied, or were they still waving their private little war? Skuld specialized in magic, but that did not mean Verdandi hadn't picked up some tricks of her own over the years. Could the future-seer truly have been tricked and trapped by her elder?

As Loki healed he watched Samantha, frozen in her own private Hell. Such an inconsequential human, yet here they were- at least four parties, enemy to one another, all fighting for this one little pawn that could lead to the destruction of the others. _His_ little pawn. Loki took an arrogant pride in that- in a way he'd already defeated the Norn. He had the prize they sought, and for whatever reason they were unwilling to simply walk in and take her.

_Unwilling, or unable?_

Now _that_ was a thought- could Skuld be incapacitated in some way? If Verdandi and Skuld truly hunted one another once upon a time, perhaps the elder sister won out after all… It would explain why the Swords had been found, but not the Scythes. According to Tyr's account Skuld escaped with both weapons, yet now she couldn't seem to take so much as a lone human girl.

_There_ is _someone I can call upon to discover the truth…_

Loki raised his hand to his chin and glanced over at the new guards, now nearly done moping up the old ones. He clicked his tongue and they immediately abandoned their task and left the room. As soon as they were done, he gently traced a blue-gold ring upon his finger. It slowly took on an unearthly glow and Loki spoke softly to it, "I need to speak with Odin, urgently." He did not know who possessed the matching trinket from Thanos, but they were the one who controlled his adopted father's imprisonment. Thanos thought Loki might go soft on him if he had the Allfather close by.

He hated being held in such low esteem. He was Thanos' greatest weapon on Asgard and Earth, yet the Mad God never even considered him but a pawn, and a faulty one at that. His precious Children were his generals in war, Loki was subordinate to all. The Norn's army would change that, and Odin would take him one step closer to absolute power.

Loki felt a stirring and turned back to Samantha just in time to see a figure in a thick black cloak appear on the far side of the cell. He felt his heart skip a beat. The hood hid her face, but when the woman stepped forward he saw the hem of a scarlet gown and the tips of golden sandals. She was undoubtedly a Norn, but she did not approach with the arrogance and pride Verdandi possessed, according to Tyr. This one was slick, hesitant, yet still imposing. A coiled snake ready to strike.

"Well? Are you here to threaten me or kill me? Do speak up, I haven't got a lot of free time lately." Loki would not allow his unease to show. The cloaked Norn just stopped a few feet from Samantha and stood there- not moving, not speaking, not even a rasp betrayed her. She might as well have been a statue.

The image flickered ever so slightly, and Loki's wolfish face curled into a sneer, "No… No that's not possible." He bent down to retrieve a chunk of rib that had been pulverized by Skuld's attack and threw it at her. It passed through the mirage easily, "Oh you poor, pathetic creature." Loki's smile was brighter now as his suspicions were confirmed, "Your sister did something to you, didn't she? That little display earlier took all the power you had, didn't it?" Now he stood taller, more confident in his position, "The Great Skuld, Castor of the Norn, General of the Valkyrie, and Titan of the Galaxy- barely able to keep together the ghost of her own image." He laughed, "I hope, I _pray_ , I can meet Verdandi one day. I bet her's is a _fascinating_ tale- how to trap a Seer without being Seen."

The mirage stepped toward Samantha, breaking up and distorting as though the signal were fading. Loki merely watched the cowled specter with his predatory grin, entertained. Skuld bent low and touched a pale finger to the side of the frozen girl's head. Loki was actually surprised- he expected something along the lines of a boney claw pocked with age and sagging with wrinkled skin. The Norn's hand was young and strong with smooth, tight flesh. The hand of a young woman. So the legends were true: the Norn did not age.

When Skuld pulled her hand back from Samantha's head, a sliver of blue light connected the women. Skuld traced a circle with the light in the air above Loki's prisoner and stood. The light disconnected from the mirage, forming the shining outline of Midgard.

A look of wonder spread across Loki's face as Midgard began to shift and transform from the planet to a continent, a continent to a region, and a region to a city. Could the Norn truly be foolish enough to show him where her Swords were hidden? Skuld studied the map for a long time, then waved her hand through it, dispersing the image.

She turned slightly to Loki, as if finally acknowledging his presence and a sense of loathing emanated from it.

"I suppose now it is truly a race to see who can get there first." He spoke softly to Skuld, "I, with the combined armies of Asgard and Hydra at my disposal, or you- who can barely keep the form of a ghost."

Skuld bent down once again and put her full hand across Samantha's eyes. There was a pulse of light and the girl began to whimper and shake. Loki felt his spell recoiling and scrambled to break it before the pain he'd inflicted on Samantha doubled back on himself. His frantic movement pulled at the wound on his side and Loki flinched. He glanced down at the wound and when he looked back up, Skuld was gone.

* * *

"My prince!" As Thor was launched out of the Bifrost, Heimdall sprang into action. He ran to his prince's aid immediately, "Are you alright? I sensed interference."

_If you need proof of my words, tell Heimdall and Phil Coulson everything._

Suddenly Thor wasn't entirely sure he- let alone Heimdall- could trust what he _did_ know. The Norn were an infuriating mix of mythology, mystery, and supposition. Was it even possible to guess at their intent? Could Verdandi have simply been leading him on? Leading _all of them_ on? What was she even doing as so many scrambled for the Norn weapons? Where was she during this entire fiasco?

"I am well," Thor let Heimdall pull him to his feet. He couldn't worry about Verdandi, Skuld, or even Loki. His head was swimming trying to keep everything straight. _Find the swords. Secure them on Asgard. Find Samantha._ "I will make haste for the Palace. Send word to Lord Tyr immediately."

Thor left a bewildered Heimdall in his wake and made for the main palace. He had his report on the Norn intel ready, and by tomorrow at the latest he hoped they'd find the Swords of Skuld. Midgard was not yet advanced enough to secure them and so the next issue would be where to hide them from the Norn. Only at that juncture would Verdandi's allegiance be needed- _maybe_.

_If she wants to prove herself an ally she can find Samantha. Until then we need not muddy the waters._

He felt the Bifrost beneath his feet begin to hum as Heimdall issued his summons. The Great Library was on Asgard, it could not be accessed with the bridge, but a message could be sent for Tyr to hurry to the capitol. The sooner they all spoke, the sooner Thor could claim the Norn weapons for Asgard. With any luck, the entire mess would be behind them before Bucky regained more of his Hydra memories.

_One problem at a time._

* * *

"I'm _bored_." Tony threw a stress ball so that it bounced off of Banner's head, "I need something to _do_."

"You're running background checks on Kristen Gunvald and Vera Daniels-Norton," Banner reminded him.

"No, JARVIS is. _I'm so bored_."

"Then help Steve find Loki's base." Banner was unphased by the overgrown 3 year old as he continued to run samples from Samantha's clothing. Nothing in the dirt was giving him more than a broad region to search for the Swords of Skuld and so far Tony had failed to identify any energy signatures to trace Asgardian- or Valkyrie- tech.

"I thought we didn't agree with trusting Verdandi or her little pocketbook?"

"What can I say, I'm bored too." Banner took off his reading glasses and pushed back from his desk with a groan, "I'm not going to find any soil samples on Samantha's clothing that helps us out. The rest of the team is out getting the swords- maybe we should just accept the book at face value. It gets Samantha back faster- hopefully- and we have no way of knowing what Loki is doing to her. Best case scenario, she's in a cell. Worst case-"

"She's already dead."

Banner shook his head, "There's worse than dead, Tony. Dead is quiet, comfortable… It's what happens while you're still alive that scares me."

Tony didn't need to consider Banner's words for long, "JARVIS, any scrap of that book you scanned or printed for Cap, recreate for us, now."

"Of course, sir."

"Good, try to match it to a map. It's time to stop letting Steve hog all the fun."

* * *

"Swap the one on the right with the third from the left." A voice from above nearly shocked Steve out of his own skin. He'd pushed all furniture in his apartment against the walls and in the newly opened space maps, sketches, tracing paper, and scans of that damned diary were strewn into heaps only he could decipher. So far all Steve wanted to do was combine the fragments of maps so that JARVIS could at least TRY to match coast lines.

Steve obeyed the Voice and moved the pages, "What? What do you see?"

"Now it looks like 'Poop' in cursive," Steve was tempted to get a ladder, pull Clint out of the vent, and strangle him.

"Are you going to _help_ or be a _dick_?" he snapped.

Clint gasped, "Language!"

"I was in the US Army, I haven't even _begun_ to curse."

"Easy, Potty Mouth. Against my better judgement, I'm trying to help. Don't make me start _listening_ to my better side. I'd be no fun."

Steve sighed and flipped the atlas in his lap, "I can't even get these maps to line up, let alone match with any coastlines. I was up all night scouring Scandanavia, Norway, and Finland. That's as far as the Asgardians ever got back then- it's got to be there somewhere!"

"Yeah, yeah, it was excruciating to watch the first time, let's not relive it."

"Clint, how long have you been up there?" Steve glanced up.

"You don't wanna know." The hatch popped open and Clint jumped down, "from up there something looked kind of familiar though." He started reshuffling pages and flipped a few over so that their reflections were barely visible. Clint stood back a ways and stared hard at the image, "What does that remind you of?"

Steve stood to match Clint's eyeline. He stared hard at the lines for a time and sighed, "No idea. Verdandi made these maps during the ice age. Things changed, the _climate_ changed, and then millennia after millennia of people digging and building- when this map was made CAVE MEN WERE STILL IN CAVES." He kicked one of the pages.

"She wouldn't have given us this book if she didn't think it'd help," Clint reminded him. "Or she gave it to us because she knew it'd keep us distracted… No, let's go with Option 1, it's less depressing."

"Now _you're_ not helping."

"OK, but this?" he pointed to the pages, "This I feel like I've seen somewhere _recently_."

Steve knew not to pepper Clint with questions while he was thinking (he had a hard enough time of it already), and so he waited, heart in throat, for Hawkeye to have some great revelation and crack the code.

Clint viewed the pages from about ten different angles, trying them out even from different heights, "This isn't looking down," he kneeled and touched the map, "I think she was drawing what she saw looking _up_ …" he tapped an outcropping in the image, "I think it's… the Cliffs of Dover."

"How sure are you?"

Clint shrugged, "I mean, Sam and I were there on a training mission a month ago, and unless a tunnel between Realms has some big-ass sign, there's no way to be 100%... But yeah, I'm pretty sure." He hesitated, "Loki wouldn't be near the Cliffs, Steve. There are too many tourists there, Hydra couldn't know if their base was being scouted, let alone get in large quantities of weapons and supplies, move troops and aircraft… It can't be the base we're looking for."

"I know," a manic glint lit Steve's eyes, "but there are more maps, more tunnels, and now we've got one less to match up."

"She said the Valkyrie used these tunnels to stage their army before a fight?" Steve nodded and Clint picked up the thick atlas, "Alright then, you lay the maps out, I'll try to guess at strategic areas, maybe that way we can narrow down the search area a bit."

"All we need is one good lead." Steve began collecting more large pieces of the journal, "we'll find it."

Clint felt compelled to do the 'Nat Thing' and put a positive spin on a hopeless situation, "We find it, and I just know we'll have Samantha back before you know it."

_If Hell freezes over._ Clint returned Steve's hopeful smile and began to flip through the book of maps.

* * *

The entire reason Thor went to Asgard was to brief King Odin and Tyr on the information contained in the box stolen from the Valkyrie archive. The box they weren't even supposed to know existed. The place on the Scribe- now Commander- Wynd should have access to. The intel that could start _wars_ if the Valkyrie found out about it.

And Tyr brought Wynd.

King Odin's sour, pinched face as he entered the war chamber was Thor's first clue something was wrong. Tyr's warning glance was the second. Wynd strolling in made his heart sink.

Wynd was the guard on-duty when Skuld tried to kill either _just_ Loki or himself _and_ Loki. Her absence from her post when Verdandi came to their defense was _why_ Wynd ended up Chief Scribe- a completely disgraced position for the warrior race. The Norn buried their legacy in myth, they were _professionally_ ghosts, and employed tactics that were probably impossible to foresee or prevent, but even so… Thor did not entirely trust that Wynd was as ignorant of the siblings as she appeared to be.

_When all of this began, Tyr warned me not to trust Wynd,_ Thor smiled politely as the three joined him, _is there anyone left I can trust?_

Odin pulled a chair out from the golden table, "Commander Wynd wishes to brief us on the Norn," he sat stiffly, as though the motion caused him great pain.

"Indeed, though I fear I have not found much," Wynd accepted the chair politely offered to her by Tyr. Thor sat last with a glance to his companions, "I am afraid it is not promising. The Norn went into hiding after a Valkyrie force captured and executed their leader, Urda. They continued to mastermind battles and attacks against our order _and_ other Realms until the final two were overwhelmed and executed. Their weapons were divided nearly 15,000 years ago. After that there is nothing."

"Nothing? They have remained anonymous all this time?!" Tyr was aghast.

"We have poured through endless tomes to find even that much- as you well know." Wynd was somber, "All we _can_ confirm is that the Norn _are_ dead. Whatever possessed Lady Samantha must have been a remnant spell cast upon the weapons."

"What about descendants?" Thor spoke up, "They were Valkyrie Generals, that means they were permitted to wed."

"There was no family," Wynd confirmed. "Trust me."

_She's lying_. Thor was amazed. _Or the Norn have misled her._

Odin took charge as the two men gaped like fools, "What are your plans moving forward?"

"We will continue to investigate what powers the Weapons may hold. While Asgard and one wing of my order hunts Loki, the other will find the Scythe. If Lady Samantha can be recovered, that would be for the best. However, the Avengers must prepare themselves for the worst eventuality."

"Is that all you came to tell us? That there is no hope for Lady Samantha?!" Thor didn't mean to sound so harsh, "Forgive me," he rubbed his forehead, "I have seen far too many restless nights."

Wynd nodded, "I am a warrior too, Prince Thor, I am not unfamiliar with the strain of battle. I sense you have been given bad news recently?"

"A friend suffers, and it cannot be helped," Thor shook his head, "not to mention the pain this causes the Avengers' leader."

"I am sorry for that, Prince Thor." Wynd sounded so sincere, he was immediately put at ease, "You can trust that I will do everything in my power to recover the Lady, just not at the cost of the Swords."

"And what of your mission?" Odin dismissed Thor's concerns for Bucky and Steve, "You said the Midgardians have knowledge of the Norn? What do they know?"

Thor hesitated to deliver his intel, but Odin had given him the perfect explanation… Wynd seemed fine with his apology, perhaps what he knew might help inform her own research, "I do not know where the information comes from, but according to Midgardian Lore, the Norn were prisoners of the Valkyrie."

"You mean after Urda was executed?" Wynd frowned and leaned forward.

"No, I mean from the very beginning." He glanced to Tyr, "The stories say the Norn were captured as children, taken as prisoners of war by the Valkyrie when their home Realm was destroyed by Sidhe. They were kept complacent, tortured, their minds manipulated and controlled by unknown methods. According to legend, Urda was captured and executed by Verdandi herself, driving a wedge between her and Skuld. Verdandi gifted the Sword Laevateinn to the Kings of Asgard as a peace offering and took her sister into hiding. As Skuld fell into the same madness that took Urda, Verdandi trained the Crown Princes of Asgard."

_Well, two of them at least._ Thor looked to Odin and saw no recognition in his eyes.

"According to what the Midgardians know, Verdandi fled with Skuld and abandoned the Weapons on Asgard after an altercation. Midgard has no lore or record of Verdandi and Skuld's deaths at Valkyrie hands. It is quite possible they remain there in hiding."

The brunt of the intel he'd wanted to share with Tyr was what Verdandi herself had told him on his way to Asgard- about Skuld and her prison, but there was no explanation he could find for that. Midgardians would have no knowledge of such things…

Wynd merely shook her head, "Midgardians are so imaginative, it truly is their greatest trait… But no, Prince Thor, as I said- there is no reason to doubt that they are long dead. Before they'd entirely passed into obscure symbolism there must have been an Asgardian who told the story to some villager. That individual clearly built a world from a fable."

"Regardless," Odin was _visibly_ impatient as he drummed two fingers on the table- a gesture he'd subconsciously adapted from Loki, "What we should be discussing is containment of the Weapons once they are found, not the history that put them on Midgard."

"What do you propose?" Wynd turned her attention from Thor.

Loki had no intention of the Weapons making it as far as containment, but he had an idea, "Asgard has one Norn blade," Odin nodded to Mjolnir sitting on the table before Thor, "no one should possess two. The Valkyrie will secure the second blade, whichever it may be- Swords or Scythe. The Third will go the Great Library, to be hidden inside the Black Archives," Odin looked around expectantly, "Is that agreeable, Lord Tyr?"

"I agree the next weapon to appear should go to the Valkyrie," Tyr said carefully, "but I do not like the idea of the Library acting as home to the third. As the Midgardians say, 'knowledge is power', and the Great Library is truly a powerful beacon of the dark arts as it is. If it became known- or even suspected- that we held such a powerful weapon…. We are a place of peace and community, I do not wish to become a target." He spoke from the heart for sure, but Thor and Odin both knew the real reason the Library could never hold a weapon: The Norn _built_ it. Skuld controlled the defenses and Verdandi possessed a skeleton key- leaving one of the blades in an open field would be more secure.

Wynd bought Tyr's excuse with a nod, "I am afraid we may not have time to find a more suitable hiding place soon enough, Lord Tyr. The Collector guards the Tesseract as it is, I am loathe to give him another powerful artifact."

"I know the Library is not a fit place for the blades," Odin assured Tyr, "but it will have to hold them- I assure you for as shot a time as possible. Until a more suitable containment is found there is no choice," Odin shot Tyr a glare.

"The Midgardians believe that two Norn blades may be used to summon a third-" Thor reported. Odin and Tyr's heads turned sharply.

Odin smiled, "Then if we find the Swords, we may use them in conjunction with Mjolnir to summon the Scythe. Excellent."

" _Father_ ," Thor insisted, "I _don't think_ that will work if it is a Norn who holds the third."

Wynd stared hard at Thor. There was little doubt left within him- she _knew_ this already and was simply aghast that he'd found it out, "If it is true, King Odin, then there is a chance that within _days_ we may hold all three weapons."

"Within _hours_ , I think." Odin chewed his lip- another nervous tick learned from Loki, Thor noted. He rubbed his chin for a long time as the others looked to their king. He was carefully considering something- if it was to be shared or held close to the chest. Odin seemed to nod to himself for a long time.

"Father?" Thor was hesitant, "What do you mean by that?"

At last, Odin seemed to decide to trust them with whatever he'd found, "I mean, son, that…" Odin glanced to Wynd and Tyr, "I mean that earlier this very day I divined the location of the Swords on Midgard," he leaned back and almost smiled at the bewildered gaping of the three. This would be so much more _fun_ than digging up those damned hunks of metal himself, "It will take all of us to recover the Swords…. Anyone care to hear the plan?"

* * *

"Do you have any twos?"

"Go _fish_ yourself." In the cold light of day, Bucky was his old, uncheerful self... Maybe more so since he woke with the tell-tale sedative hangover. There was a _reason_ Banner was super-soldiering his meds, the regular ones just made him feel sick.

To Bucky's credit though, Kristen was similarly rejecting Sam's game. She was curled on her side with her eyes closed tight, occasionally shivering and shaking. Sam and Natasha gave her shots of morphine and antibiotics, but she was still warm to the touch and her wounds- entry and exit- were rimmed in hot red flesh.

Natasha inspected one wound with a worried frown, "Bucky might just kill you yet," she half-joked. The promise of Asgardian healing devices did little to assuage her worries.

"Even when he misses he still gets his target." Sam clapped Bucky on the shoulder, "You really are a legend!"

"Go fish yourself," Kristen stole Bucky's line.

"She's talking to me!" Sam's mock jubilation was a stark contrast to the moods of the others on the Quin-Jet, "Natasha, my existence has been acknowledged!"

"Acknowledged and lamented."

"Well you all should acknowledge _this_." Natasha pointed out the front window of the ship. Clouds had rolled in over the last few hours and a very slight rotation had begun in the sky directly overhead.

"A tornado?" Heat lightning flashed within the movement, "With rainbow lightning... Isn't this the beginning of 'Wizard of Oz'?"

"Thor?" Kristen breathed a sigh of relief, "Thank God."

Bucky walked over to the window as the clouds began to part, "What took so long? It's after lunch." Thor plummeted to the ground and immediately ran for the jet, "He coming in hot?" Bucky pulled out a sidearm.

Sam noted the appearance of the gun and balked, "Where the hell did you get that?" When Bucky didn't answer he merely grumbled something about, "Fucking Houdini..."

Natasha opened the hatch and lowered the ramp for Thor, "Why are you in such a hurry?" He literally jumped up onto the ramp before it was all the way down, "Doctor Gunvald's fine."

"Cohasset Massachusetts," Thor pointed to the flight controls, "Set a course now!" Natasha snapped into action as Thor walked quickly to Kristen's side, "Pardon me." He pulled back the cut sleeve of her shirt to expose the bullet wound (and a full cup of her bra beneath it). Once he'd pried the gauze from the entrance and exit wounds, he pulled thin white patches from his pocket and laid one over each break in the skin. As soon as they'd shifted to match her tone and closed off the wounds the girl breathed a deep sigh of relief. The tension left her immediately and her coloring began to improve, "That will take some time to heal, do not be fooled. It will hurt for several hours yet."

"Thank you, Thor. Don't harsh my placebo buzz."

"Die another day," Bucky's tone was gentler than it had been any other time he'd spoken to Gunvald. The events of the previous night had thawed some of the ice between them. Kristen only leaned back and hummed happily in response as she finally relaxed.

"What's going on Thor?" Natasha called from the controls, "What's in Cohasset?"

"According to my father, the Swords of Skuld."

Kristen immediately popped up (and clapped her shirt over her bra, "Odin found the Swords? How?"

"The Allfather has powers- probably taught to him by Skuld- that even I cannot understand. He says he divined their location, I will not question that."

"What's the plan?" The ship took off and Natasha turned to Thor.

"Asgard is working with the Valkyrie to secure the town now, I told them to put the clock tower at the center," he nodded to Kristen, "and clear an area of five miles in all directions. The perimeter will be supervised by High Commander Wynd, no one will get through."

"I'll call Ross," Sam whipped out a cell phone, "He's not going to like aliens randomly evacuating a US city."

"King Odin will assist us in finding the Swords. Once we're there, he will summon Wynd. The Weapons must be kept as secret as possible- no soldiers or Valkyrie will be allowed within the search zone. We just have to hope Mjolnir is enough to guide us quickly. Once we have the Swords, Odin and Wynd will pair them with Mjolnir to try to summon the Scythes... They will not succeed, but at least between Asgard and the Valkyrie, we will be able to secure two weapons."

Kristen shook her head, "An Asgardian and Valkyrie presence? Loki will hear about that, even wherever he's holed up! It'll be international news! Samantha's life is as good as forfeit!"

Thor shook his head, "Our mission is to find the weapons, we have to hope that Steve and the others will find her soon."

"I'm no Skuld, but I can already tell you this isn't going to go well." Fear, rather than pain, made Kristen pale now, "This is a _bad idea_."

"Maybe," Thor agreed, "but it's all we've got."

"But-"

"Get cleaned up," Natasha cut Kristen off. "Go shower and get changed if you want to come along."

"Fine. But this _will not end well._ And for the record? I'm not cool with the Valkyrie claiming the Swords. I don't trust them, and neither should you. Not until you know what Sidhe did to them and what this _Wynd_ 's intentions are." She stomped off towards the bathroom.

"I'm with the shrink on this one," Bucky watched her go, "something doesn't feel right."

"Do you have any better ideas?" Thor was exasperated. When Bucky didn't answer he threw up his hands, "Then, as the Captain would say, suit-up."

Bucky stared him down defiantly for a moment before breaking away to raid his weapons locker, "Hey," Natasha whispered as soon as he was out of earshot, "what's wrong Thor? What aren't you saying?"

Thor shook his head, "I cannot say. We must remain focused on the mission at-hand: Help Asgard secure the Swords for the Valkyrie. Nothing else matters."

"But?"

"But..." Thor sighed, "But I am not sure we are trusting the right people anymore."

_You aren't._ He didn't need Verdandi's voice in his ear to tell him what he already knew. _Ever since I left you, Princeling, I have been looking through Odin's eyes and all I see is darkness._ A cold shiver went up Thor's spine. _I don't know who sits upon Asgard's throne, but it is not my kin. Do whatever it takes to find the Swords... Then run like hell._

* * *

**Thank you all for your incredible patience!**

There are about 2-3 chapters left in this first installment of "Valkyrie Wars", let's see if we can't get those out this week!


	34. Chapter 33

** Chapter 33 **

The three-way intersection of Ripley Road, Pleasant Street, and Depot Court was just about the only place Natasha could put the Quin-Jet down in Cohasset. It was a block away from St. Stephen's Parrish, the church tower of which bore the carillon Kristen had heard on Samantha's message. It was a dense town, strictly speaking, but that only meant finding the buried Swords would be that much harder.

For one thing, as densely packed as it was, there were plenty of closed-off gardens, unpaved alleyways, parks, and small hills- most of which were either tree-covered (rendering Sam's wings all but useless), or without much grass to begin with. More and more, it looked as though Thor's hammer was going to be their best bet at finding the other Norn weapon- particularly if it was in the patches of forest on the west side.

"What can we rule out?" Natasha noticed a large figure she assumed was Odin standing in the courtyard of the church as they flew in. The Asgardians and Valkyrie were making fine progress in encouraging residents to leave the city, meaning Cohasset was a ghost-town as the Avengers (and doctor) headed past the vacant shops of Depot Court towards Main Street.

"Anything too close to the bell tower," Kristen nodded to the spire just peaking above the building as they passed, "and nothing to the east of it. I didn't hear any boats, and trust me- if it looks like a tornado is coming the bells tend to go off. I think for the most part we can rule out the woods too- stick to the borders. I heard wind, but only a little rustling of tree leaves. Stick to roads, there was definitely a car passing at one point."

"Should we poll the residents on the edge of town? See if anyone saw Samantha?" Bucky hesitated at the street corner. It sounded as if they were already going the wrong way just to meet up with Odin, "Are you sure we all have to go to this pow-wow?"

Thor didn't even break stride, "My father would know those who seek the weapons of the Norn. He may have information valuable to our mission."

"Bucky's right though," Kristen prompted, "we're wasting precious time. Loki's probably on his way by now, not to mention your General Ross."

Sam smirked, "I _may_ have accidentally told General Ross we were headed to Minnesota. I get so turned around sometimes…"

Thor took the steps two at a time, but Kristen and Bucky hesitated at the bottom, "Thor, I'm not trying to start something, but I really don't have a good feeling about this."

"I'm with him. Maybe we should just _find_ the weapon, _then_ talk to your father." Kristen glanced to Bucky.

"My father is King of Asgard, he requested we all meet _before_ seeking the Swords. If you were in his position, would you not insist as well? We seek the Swords of Skuld, as dangerous a weapon as Mjolnir on its own, potentially apocalyptic in such close quarters to its sibling. We are hunted by creatures we do not understand, and should this fall into the wrong hands, we all shall be damned. Is it so _inconvenient_ that he would wish to meet you all himself before entrusting us with the fates of the Realms?"

Natasha silenced Bucky with a look, then ever so subtly nodded back the way they'd come. Kristen was standing next to the Avenger on a deserted street, no sign of life in the town, and yet he _still_ managed to slip away before she'd even registered his absence. No matter how hard she listened or looked for him, there was no sign. Natasha smiled at the look of surprise on the doctor's face. The Winter Soldier was a _professional_ ghost. It came in handy. Sure, Thor would be pissed, but he'd be pissed _with_ the Swords of Skuld.

"Well? Are you coming or what?" Kristen heard his whisper echo down the street- from the _opposite_ direction she could have sworn he'd gone.

"Hurry up," Natasha passed Kristen and continued on. She _hated_ that Bucky was going off with Gunvald, the girl was _barely_ trustworthy. But if Bucky said she could come along, Natasha wasn't about to argue… Even though her gut told her to.

As impressive as Bucky's ability to vanish was, Kristen wasn't too far behind him. She slipped behind a parked car and soon there wasn't so much as the sound of her footsteps to betray her. She didn't aim for where she'd heard Bucky's voice, instead she kept close to the curb, using what cover she could- and speed where she could not- to move down the street and around the edge of a small strip of shops. Once she was behind it, Bucky appeared immediately.

"You trust me to go with you?"

He stared her down for a long time, then nodded, "I think so. It doesn't matter if you're Hydra or not anymore, for the moment, we have the same goal."

"And you think Odin doesn't share that goal?"

"No," Bucky walked away from the shop and Kristen followed, "something about him doesn't feel right, and he wanted to just about kill Samantha to get the Sword's location out of her. I have no doubt he wants the Swords, I just don't believe he'll ever act in her interest. _You_ will. If we find the Swords before he gets ahold of them, we control the narrative. It's a gamble, and I'm not saying we offer them to Loki for her, but I'd rather have something to at least make the Asgardians and Valkyrie stop and listen."

They walked down a side alley, mindful to look for signs of disturbed earth. Any minute Thor would raise his hammer, call down the lightning, and hopefully trigger the Swords in some way, "I'm not going to try and convince you I'm not Hydra, but I won't screw around with the Swords, not even to try and get Samantha back. For all I know that's what Skuld would want and I'm not about to wade into some Valkyrie pissing contest. I just-" she shook her head, "-I helped good people for good reasons, and I didn't stop when I found out a few weren't good people or were related to bad people. That's my crime. I'm not perfect, not by far, but I mean it when I say I'm here for Samantha, and I'm here to help."

"Like last night?" he glanced back to her, "You don't even _like_ me and you didn't hesitate to sit down across from an armed man and talk him off the ledge."

"I like you just fine, _you_ shot _me_ , remember? I knocked you out because I figured you all had something to do with whatever was going on with Samantha."

"A shrink using her powers for evil," Bucky scoffed, but there was a twinkle in his trademark scowl, "Can I ask you something?"

"Anything."

"What's your end game here? What do you see as the best case scenario?"

Kristen shrugged, "Today we get the Swords, and then we find Samantha."

Bucky decided to press her as they looked, "So, we're walking along, we look down, find loose dirt, unearth the Swords- then what?"

"Then... Then Odin and Thor try to use Mjolnir and the Swords to summon the Scythe, according to what Verdandi told Thor that isn't going to work, and… And I don't know. Odin leaves with the Swords and locks them up for good. Verdandi is guarding the Scythe. If she really doesn't want this to turn into a bigger fight, then she'll keep the Scythe in hiding and find a way to stop Skuld from getting out of her prison."

"And then we find Samantha, and what happens once we have her?"

Kristen simply shook her head. She had no answers there, "We make sure she's safe, mentally and physically. Loki will have no reason to come after her again, he wants the Swords. He won't get them. She isn't going to be a part of it anymore."

"And you?" He glanced up as the sky began to darken.

"I might move my practice to New York for a while. I don't imagine Steve will let her out of his sight, and neither will I." She stepped under a particularly large tree branch to watch as a slow spin began in the clouds. Thor was ramping up his lightning, hopefully it would show them the way, "What about you?"

"We get Samantha back, I go back to Doctor Cho, and we all go back to hunting down Hydra sympathizers, not the boogymen."

"Your lips to God's ears."

A column of blue lightning exploded from the center of the swirling mass and shot towards the bell tower of the church several streets over. Kristen immediately focused on the lightning directly overhead. The pulse grew brighter and brighter, blindingly so, as Thor put all of Mjolnir's power into it. A tendril of lightning shot off to the side and angled away from Bucky and Kristen, out towards the edge of town.

"COME ON!" they both ran for it at top speed. Bucky looked up towards the sky. By the time they reached the end of the block, he was frowning, "Where are Thor and Sam? They were going to fly there."

Kristen skid to a stop, "Ssh!" Bucky stopped as well and she closed her eyes to listen, "I don't hear his wings."

A shout of pain and surprise echoed suddenly from the direction of the church. It sounded like Sam. "NO!" Bucky grabbed Kristen's arm as she turned towards the sound, "It's either Loki, or a Norn. We get that weapon first, _then_ go save them!"

"Damnit!" shouted in frustration, then took off again in the direction of the Weapons, "Hurry up then!"

They ran for half a mile between buildings and around shops, then slowly separated- always within eyesight of one another, but still far enough apart that they were covering extra ground. The shops on this end of town were further apart, offering ample cover and space for a woman to bury a large metal box in private.

"Here!" Kristen's call drew Bucky instantly. He ran through a gap between two buildings and crossed the street. She was at the border between a small park and the trees, just barely in sight of the tip of the church steeple. She was already up to her elbows in mud and dirt as she scraped away at the loose ground.

They were horrifically exposed. Bucky looked from the street to the girl a few times before cursing, "Here! You stand guard!" He could dig faster, and once he had the edge of the box his super-strength would make simply lifting it out of the dirt an easy task, but someone needed to guard their position against the attacker. He passed Kristen his assault rifle, but kept his hand on the barrel a moment as she stood to take it, "If you turn on me- even if you shoot me straight in the head- I'll snap your neck before I go down."

"I'd never do that." The intense look in her eyes made Bucky believe her. They were so close to their first 'win' since this whole nightmare started, she wouldn't jeopardize it.

Bucky let go, "Safety's already off. Just point and shoot."

"Hurry up."

He took her place on the ground and pulled out a small shovel. The head was hardly larger than his open hand, but Bucky laid into the task with all the strength and speed he could muster. This soil was loose and wet. The clay of the Midwest was easier to remove in chunks (if you had enhanced strength to get through it), but what he lost in quantity he made up for in speed. Bucky just hoped Samantha didn't bury it too deeply.

"Thor can hold his own," he panted as he dug and spoke more to himself than Kristen, "and if he can't, that pale little shit Odin probably can. He doesn't look like a fighter, but maybe he's just wiry."

"What did you say?" Kristen stepped back towards him a little, but kept her focus on the street in front of them.

"What?"

"Did you say ' _Pale little shit'_? Odin?"

"Yeah. He's nothing like the Odin in Norse Mythology."

"Describe him for me."

"Why?"

"Because ' _Pale Little Shit_ ' is how I'd describe _Loki._ "

Ice shot through Bucky's heart and dread immediately coiled in his stomach. He paused in his mad dig, "Long black hair, skinny, shorter than Thor-"

"Green and gold?" Kristen glanced back quickly. When Bucky nodded her attention snapped back in front of them, but Bucky could see goosebumps on her arms.

"I never saw pictures of Loki, I was still with Hydra when the Battle of New York happened… Was that Loki? Did I see Loki?"

"I think so." He'd almost forgotten Kristen was _in_ New York for the battle. Of course she'd seen Loki.

"Jesus fucking Christ…." Bucky went back to digging, somehow faster than before, "No wonder Loki came for Samantha, we took her out of Asgard against Odin's orders. That son of a bitch… Thor even _said_ it was like his father didn't know things he should have! That's because it _wasn't_ his father! Loki was the same age as Thor when all that shit went down- he wouldn't know the Norn! DAMN! DAMN! DAMN! DAMN!" He accented his shovelfuls with curse words.

Kristen shuddered, "Get the Swords, then we'll go after him. Don't let them touch Mjolnir, but it doesn't sound like it would hurt to use them."

"Aim to maim," Bucky ordered, "we can't kill him, we'll lose Samantha."

"If we don't kill him, we might lose her faster." Kristen adjusted the gun.

Bucky's shovel hit metal about a foot down, "I GOT IT!" He dug towards the edge of the disturbed topsoil, found the edge of the box, and started digging around the side to make a handhold. It was muddy and he was largely working by feel, but what bits he could see were the same rippled Damascus Steel that Samantha had described, "Samantha touched this and Skuld possessed her mind."

"Assume that was a one-time deal!" Kristen snapped, "We don't have time to worry about it now!"

He found the corner and, obediently, grabbed the box with his metal hand. The steel was hard, but thankfully not as hard as Adamantium- he managed to put enough of a dent into the side to get a decent grip.

With a tremendous wrench, Bucky shouted and pulled the entire thing from the earth. Kristen fell back to stand next to him, a weary look in her eye, "Open it. Make sure the box and the Swords weren't divided."

Bucky threw back the lid-

-and was blasted backwards by a wave of energy.

He flew halfway across the park and slammed head-first into a tree trunk. Kristen watched him hit, then snapped to face the direction the blast had come from.

"Thank you so much for your work," Loki stepped out of the treeline and raised a hand.

Kristen fired several sloppy shots at him and Loki was forced to throw up a shield. The Swords of Skuld were simple- steely gray blades that held no sign of their power- save the Norn triquetra etched deeply into the hilts. She dove for them while her enemy was distracted. If she could get even a single finger on them-

Her hand was a hair's width from the blades- she could _feel_ the cold given off by the metal- and another blast caught her squarely in the ribs. It was like being hit by a car. Kristen was launched backwards away from the boxes. Her landing was uneven and painful- she hit Bucky, but only _parts_ of him was softer than the tree. Her back slammed into his chest and his metal shoulder crashed into her newly-healed wounds.

Bucky was out cold, but Kristen scrambled to her feet and ran for the box, knowing damn well she wouldn't make it in time. She screamed wordlessly as Loki crouched down. He slowly wrapped his fingers around the Swords' hilts and smiled savagely. He could feel a violent _hum_ from the blades- no doubt reacting to the presence of Laevateinn less than a mile away.

Loki turned to face the pathetic little Midgardian. He held the Swords crossed before them, blades facing Kristen. Loki slashed the air as he brought them down, and a violent blast of air shot forth from them. It lifted Kristen with a force ten times greater than the blast of magic had and hurtled her even further across the park where she hit the ground and rolled for several feet.

"Now, let's find your friends." Loki smiled maliciously and headed back towards the church.

* * *

Thor was precisely where Loki left him- hanging over the peak of the church roof. Natasha and Sam were somewhere in the church itself, having been blasted through the windows. They wouldn't be waking any time soon. Glass was sharp- maybe they wouldn't wake at all.

Mjolnir was sitting in the churchyard where it fell when Loki caught Thor by surprise. The Jotun transferred the Swords so he held two in one hand- a tricky grip considering they were _shuddering_ now. All he needed was to touch Mjolnir and the Scythe would be his. From Cohasset, his apocalypse would begin.

There was an explosion of red mist in front of him and suddenly a blind Valkyrie in red-gold robes blocked his path. She slowly reached back and picked up Mjolnir. As she did, it unfurled. By the time Verdandi raised her sister's weapon, it was a large broadsword.

"You would be intimidating, Verdandi, if your image wasn't flickering so." Loki smirked. The Norn was nearly transparent, a weak mirage, nothing more, "You can't fight me like _that_ when I have _these_ ," he transferred the blade back to his right hand and held both up.

"You're right." Verdandi threw the sword and it vanished in a flash of light, "You'll never find that."

Loki's face twisted into an ugly snarl. He barely managed to get it under control, "I'm going to kill you with your own army."

"Keep telling yourself that." The mirage waved her hand and there was another flash of light. Loki looked around quickly- Thor was gone from the roof, no doubt Natasha and Sam were gone as well, "Is King Odin alive?"

"You don't know?" he smiled, despite losing Laevateinn and any hostages he might have taken.

"When I look for him, I see only darkness." Verdandi was losing control of the mirage in such close proximity to the Swords of Skuld, "Do me a favor- speak with him. Ask him what is coming for you. You have my word as a Valkyrie General- I will run you through with that sword by the time this fight is done."

Loki laughed, "All talk and no follow through. Pass on a message to the Midgardians for me- I'm going to skin Samantha alive. I've already given her the Inquisitors Dram-" he couldn't see Verdandi's eyes, but her mouth fell open in shock and disgust, and that was just as good, "-you've heard of it? Oh good. You can explain to anyone who hasn't. She has _days_ left. If that. I'm going to take my time pulling her apart. Your sister has a connection to the girl thanks to these, no?" He smiled and lowered the Swords, "I wonder if I can break her prison wide open before you find me."

Verdandi vanished in a flash of light and his smile turned to a scowl, "Damnable bitch!" he hissed. His victory was nowhere near complete, but it was enough for now. Before she could muster the strength to return, he used all of his dark power to vanish from the town. He'd have to take the tunnel between worlds to get back to his base, but it didn't matter.

In saving Thor, Verdandi ruined his chances of returning to the throne as Odin. Thanos wouldn't be pleased, but he wouldn't be disappointed either-

Two Norn blades were in play now, and he'd at least kept the Avengers from gaining the advantage.

Unfortunately, Verdandi's focus had been on finding those Swords. Now she'd be free to unite openly with the Avengers against him.

_I do hope Skuld isn't too stubborn._


	35. Chapter 34

** Chapter 34 **

"Samantha? Samantha!" Hands shook her roughly, sending waves of pain radiating throughout her body. "Samantha, please open your eyes…" The voice was like a cool breeze in the firestorm around her.

Shivering, she opened her tired eyes. It took several seconds for her to focus on the face in front of her. As much as his voice was a breath of life, seeing Steve's face was a balm for her very soul. "S-Steve?" Samantha's sight blurred again as tear's fell.

Steve quickly wiped them away and cupped her cheek, "Ssh, ssh. It's alright. You're safe now. I've got you." He crouched over Samantha in his Avenger's uniform- sans helmet- and a mix of concern and pure, unbridled joy lit up his face. Samantha cried out as he gently lifted her to rest against his chest.

"Steve… Steve…" she reached up and gently touched his face, but a cold shiver went through her, "L-Loki-"

"I know," he smoothed her hair and lowered his face to hers, "You're going to be alright. Here, this will help-" he pulled his canteen out and held it up to her lips.

"It w-will?" Trepidation seeped into her very bones. Every piece of her screamed something was not right, but her mind did not listen.

"It will, I swear. Trust me-" Samantha took a hesitant sip, "-see? More. It'll help- but only if you drink more."

The sweet liquid wet Samantha's mouth and flowed down her throat. She could feel it all the way to her stomach, and from there it spread out to the tips of her fingers and toes. The cold eased the burning and aching throughout her body and slowly chased away the horrors of Loki's torture- physically at least. It felt like her mind itself was slowing. Her instincts that told her something was wrong were fading away, her will along with them. In Steve's arm, she slowly melted.

_Awaiting orders_ , the words seeped out in a low moan, not that Steve would understand.

"See? That's good." Steve lowered the drink, "You're alright."

"You… came…" Samantha managed to break through the fog, if only for a moment.

"Of course I did," he rested his forehead against hers, "I will always come for you." He brushed his lips against hers, "I will always find you." He kissed her lightly.

"Mmf, Steve-"Samantha felt a flair of pain from the kiss- it was a little too hard. She pushed back weakly to break the connection.

"Tell me you want it." He nipped her lip sharply, "Tell me you _deserve_ this." There was a hard glint in Steve's eye that made a violent shiver go through Samantha's body. He grabbed her head and kissed Samantha with violent force. She struggled and tried to cry out as Steve forced his tongue into her mouth. He secured her with both hands and eased back to take her bottom lip in between his teeth and bite- hard.

"I will always win," he hissed in her ear and backed away as Samantha fell back to the floor. She curled into a ball to hold her bloody face as he smiled and spit out a large chunk of her bottom lip, "I have the Swords of Skuld. You know what that means." Steve shimmered and in a second Loki was standing there in his place.

Samantha didn't answer. Loki walked to the cell door and opened it to admit his guards once more, "Make her pretty for her beloved Captain. I've already started for you."

Loki looked around the cell as the two advanced, "Skuld, darling. If you're listening- it's time to join me or get out of my way."

He half expected one of his guards to implode- of not both. For something to happen to him, for the room to explode, to hear a scream, see a silhouette- anything. If Skuld was listening, she did not rise to Loki's taunt.

"Good choice."

* * *

The Winter Soldier held the child long after her eyes turned glass and her lips blue. He kept cradling her as though he could protect her from the world and the monsters within it… Monsters like the one who put a knife through her throat.

The teddy bear in her small hands stared up at him, awoke in the Winter Soldier memories of a softer, kinder time. He'd saved up some coins here and there for weeks and bought a fancy, expensive one at the downtown department sore- the one the finer folk shopped in. He'd brought that bear home, amazed by how soft its fur was. When he got there, he'd walked to the back bedroom- the one he had to be quiet as a mouse around. He remembered slipping into that room quickly, closing the door softly, and laying that teddy bear in the cradle of a newborn baby.

_Rebecca._

The Winter Soldier's mind recoiled from the memory of a sister he could not possibly have. He wasn't human, he was a weapon… A weapon sitting over the body of a small girl. He put his metal hand on her cheek and felt something tickle his own face- a tear? The Winter Soldier hardly recognized it. He knew guilt, it was a lead weight that he carried without a thought, an eternal dread in his chest. This wasn't guilt… It was something stronger, something that he felt with every fiber of his being, something that _couldn't_ be forgotten. The SHIELD agents were one thing. A child was another.

Her blood covered his lap, his metal hand where he tried to staunch the flow, even the walls of the-

The walls were clean.

The Winter Soldier looked around him, but there was no blood to be seen. Not where he stabbed her, not where she fell, not even where he sat holding her. He held his metal hand up in time to see the last flecks of rust-red fade away. The girl was pale, but the faintest touches of color was returning to her face. After a moment there was no sign of wound to her neck. After a few minutes, her chest began to rise and fall once again.

He didn't quite know what was happening- neither did he care. He'd made a mistake, he was seeing things, just like when he saw those flashes of something that couldn't possibly be memory. The child was alive.

Something had woken in the Winter Soldier, and he had no choice but to act on it. Hydra would be coming soon, and the house had to burn. Still…

He scooped up the girl and ran out the back door with her, leaving behind his knife and gun. He had precious little time to save her before _they_ came for him. He ran as fast as he could towards the property line, not sure how he would clear the security protocols. The Serum in his blood would at least get him over the fence, but he relied on the adrenaline and raw panic to carry him far enough over the other side to land in safety. It was a jump maybe a handful of humans could make, hell, it was one he _barely_ made, even with his enhanced body.

He ran down the sloping ground as fast as he could until he came to the waterfront, then dashed along that back towards the city. It was three miles, but he never broke stride. He clutched the unconscious child tightly to his chest. By the time he reached the warehouses at the edge of the city, he barely remembered _why_ he was doing what he was doing. He just knew he was taking the girl to safety. There were homeless people milling about the building. He set her down just out of sight and checked his watch. He didn't have time for any more.

The Winter Soldier knelt down in front of the girl, smoothed her hair, and tucked the teddy bear securely in her arms. He had to have faith she would find her way to the police quickly. He turned away from her, but a small hand shot out and grabbed his sleeve. The Winter Soldier froze and looked back to the child. Her gray-blue eyes were open, and a serious scowl covered her face. She stared at him for several moments, as if she were deciding what to do with him. A shiver went through the Winter Soldier's body- something in her eyes was ancient and _angry_.

At last, she let go of his sleeve and put her palm on the middle of his forehead.

There was an explosion of light.

A blast of air.

And the Winter Soldier turned away from the inferno that once was a home, his mind as empty as ever. His heart was pounding in his ears, but he neither knew nor cared why. The security protocols did not survive as the house burned. When he got to the gate, he pushed it open easily and stepped out into the small gravel street.

He started up it as the tenth house down burned, just as Hydra planned. His convoy picked him up around the sixth house and they sped away into the night before emergency crews arrived. He glanced out the window as the headlights lit up the sign for Gunvald Avenue briefly before it vanished once again in the night.

A piece of Bucky stirred in the dream-

The tenth house...

On Gunvald Avenue…

_Oh God...  
_


	36. Chapter 35

**Chapter 35**

Bucky didn't jerk awake, eyes wide with terror and confusion. He didn't jump up and attack, go for the throat of the woman standing over him, or even suffer from the usual confusion when he realized he wasn't in a field anymore. He simply opened his eyes, blinked slowly, and sat up. A thought tickled his mind, becoming more concrete the more he tried to disprove it. An idea- a _concept_ \- that might not be as crazy as it sounds at first light.

"Bucky? Bucky- are you alright?" Natasha had a hand on his shoulder, even as another hand held an ice pack against her head, "Take it slowly, you look like shit."

He looked around the white room and recognized it immediately- the recovery room of Avenger's Tower. Steve was helping Thor up from the bed as Sam and Kristen also stirred.

_Kristen._

"Bucky!" Steve caught sight of him out of the corner of his eye and left Thor to Tony's care, "What the hell happened?!"

"How did we get back here?"

"We don't know," Clint called as he entered and rushed to change the gauze on Sam's head wound before the man sat up. "The jet came in about ten minutes ago on autopilot. You were all out when we got the doors open. What happened out there?!"

"Loki," Thor sighed and held his head in his hands. The strangled tone of his voice wasn't from any injury, "We met with Odin, used Mjolnir to-" he snapped to attention and held out his hand, his face white. The hammer slammed into it within seconds and Thor let out his breath, relaxing, "-we used Mjolnir to find the Swords. I don't know if it worked. I summoned the lightning and it forked- just as we hoped… But it split into two new branches. One went out over the town, the other hit my father- hit Odin in the chest. He was thrown back, the light faded, and when he stood-" his voice trailed off.

"When he stood it wasn't Odin." Natasha finished, "That's about as far as we got before we were flying through the air and everything went red."

"That's how he knew Samantha found the Swords," Thor looked to Steve, "and why my father did not want her to leave Asgard. I am sorry, Steven. I should have been more careful, I should have noticed that my father was not right…"

"You did," Kristen sighed, "you kept saying it wasn't like him."

"Well I shouldn't have trusted him," Thor spat. "I brought this down on us."

Steve shook his head, too tired for surprise, "No, you didn't Thor. I don't blame you."

"Did you figure out the maps?" Kristen turned her attention to Steve. For someone who just woke up among the battered and bloody, she was in the best shape of the lot- already clearly focused on their mission, "Loki has the Swords. We _need_ to find Samantha _NOW_."

Steve looked to Tony and Clint, "We've matched three of them so far- and that was in the last six hours. It's… We won't give up, but we aren't going to figure it out like this. Verdandi drew the scenery from her perspective- any monuments she used to map the locations aren't there anymore, and where she mapped the stars- well, that helps narrow things down to the general time she was drawing, but not the locations." He looked like he wanted to punch someone. He was lost, frustrated, and at the end of his rope.

Kristen thought for a moment as Sam sat up. Bucky watched her more closely than ever before- noted the careful calculation in her eyes, "Okay, can I offer a 'Plan B'?"

"We'll take anything."

Natasha noticed Bucky's intense stare and followed his line of sight to the girl. She put a hand on his shoulder to steady him- and to warn him. He spared her a glance and knew with certainty that she'd long suspected what he now did- and just knowing that was confirmation enough.

"Cohasset was miserable- cloudy sky, and even though we were there in a brief break through the drizzle, you could tell it had been raining for a while. When Thor uses Laevateinn, there are storms. What if the Swords of Skuld were behind the weather in Cohasset?"

"JARVIS- check the weather reports for Cohasset starting the _day_ Samantha found the Swords through now."

There was a pause before the computer answered, "The weather system did begin shortly after Miss Cidero reported finding the Swords, and it is clearing up as we speak."

"Scan the world- look for a similar system appearing _exactly_ in time with this one vanishing. That's where Loki will be, and where Samantha will be." Kristen had the same look at Steve- that of someone who is ready to fight and just needs to be pointed in the right direction.

"If she isn't dead already." The thought made Bucky's stomach churn and his heart drop, and he _hated_ the look it earned him from Steve, but he did it more to judge Kristen's reaction than anything as he slid off the bed and stood.

"She's alive."

"How do you know that?"

"BECAUSE SHE HAS TO BE!" Kristen's composition broke and she rounded on Bucky, "BECAUSE EVERYTHING WE'VE DONE, EVERYTHING WE'VE BEEN THROUGH _CANNOT_ END WITH HER DYING BY LOKI'S HAND!"

Bucky sighed softly, "What is your idea of a happy ending to all of this- realistically?"

"Realistically?" Kristen shakes her head, "Realistically we find Loki's base and get Samantha out, and whatever he did to her is something _I_ can treat. We get the Swords back or we don't- it doesn't matter anymore. I'll take Samantha into hiding, I'll protect her. Kill Loki and we'll come back." Her expression alone told everyone she'd rather be dragged across broken glass and then dumped in salt water, but she was resigned. She'd never looked more tired.

Steve nodded as she spoke, "I second that plan."

"Even the 'we' part?" Kristen shot him a look, "I'm not letting you go without me."

"Even the 'we' part," Steve promised. "Banner is in his lab working on some protection for you- a personal shield unit. It should be ready in an hour or so."

"Pardon me, but I have found six matches for unusual weather phenomenon." JARVIS chimed in.

Tony nodded appreciatively to Kristen, "Alright JARVIS, compare those locations with known Hydra facilities. Also compare them to the maps we've got from Verdandi. See if there's a way to cross some of those places off that list." He smiled to the doctor, "Good call."

"Just earning my seat on the jet."

"Match found," JARVIS sounded happy, "Hellnar, Iceland."

Bucky actually looked hopeful, "Hydra Facility Hellnar was built into smuggling tunnels. It's a labyrinth, that's for sure, but it's more of a layover stop than a real base. With the current facilities Loki could _at most_ have fifty men. Nat could handle them with a blindfold on." She gave him a wicked smile.

"Anyone not coming?" Steve looked around the room and naturally saw no raised hands, "Alright." He tapped his comm to get Banner's attention, "Doctor Banner, wheels up in an hour. We have a location." He fought down a smile and struggled to keep the emotion from his voice. "It's time to bring Sammy home."

Steve strode from the room, and the other Avengers began pulling themselves towards the door as well. An hour seemed like a long time to pull their armories together, but they also had to fit as many medical supplies on the Quin-Jet as possible for Samantha's sake- and that meant cleaning out the cache of books stolen from the Great Library.

"Can we talk?" Kristen looked to Bucky, who hadn't made a move as the others were spurred into action. He nodded, and Natasha cast him a quick glance before walking out behind Clint and Sam. Almost as if she knew what was coming, Natasha closed the doors to the recovery room behind them, giving Kristen and Bucky their privacy.

He didn't say anything, only waited, watching, calculating every blink, every breath, and every glance as she looked around- a nervous tick, or casing the room for cameras? As if in answer, she lightly adjusted her position, turning ever so slightly so that her hair slid forward and hid her mouth from a small security camera in the smoke detector, "Do you want to know the first thing you lose as the years roll by?"

"Remorse?" He cocked an eyebrow.

"Patience. Patience for the stupid little dances people do around one another. I've done some pretty incredible things just because someone was straight with me- and some terrible things when they aren't."

Bucky scoffed, "And yet you still know how to tango like a pro."

"That's how I survive."

"What do you want?"

"To save Samantha for you all."

"Why?"

Kristen shrugged and leaned back, "Because Skuld wants to destroy her."

"And the Swords?"

"If you'll remember, Bucky, I advocated for them to remain _buried_. Samantha is more important to me than a couple of old hunks of metal."

Bucky cocked his head to the side, "I don't think Thor would call Mjolnir 'an old hunk of metal'- or anyone who's tried to stand up to its power."

"Mjolnir is formidable," Kristen nodded, "but it couldn't hold a candle to Laevateinn." She stood to leave the room, "I'm going to help save Samantha, just like I promised… Are you going to get in my way?"

He considered it almost _too_ long. An enemy or a friend- that was all they'd ever needed to know… "Her prophecy said you'd die."

"I'm aware."

"How do I know you don't want this to all just end?"

Kristen actually laughed at that, "Even nihilism fades eventually."

"You're a shitty liar- there's something you're not telling me."

"A more accurate sentiment would be that there is _everything_ I'm not telling you. I don't need to be a good liar, not at the moment, so why put forth the effort?'

Bucky swallowed hard, "Save Samantha?"

"Save Samantha."

"Not by locking her up or killing her or-"

"-Bucky, if I have to lock her up, she's already dead." There was pure honesty in her eyes- that or she'd decided to put the effort into lying.

He just nodded for the doctor to leave, and she took that as his acceptance. It had all become too overwhelming, too much for one person to deal with. Either he'd look back at this as the moment he damned them all or saved the world by keeping his trap shut.

Doctor Kristen Gunvald. A woman who specialized in debilitating trauma- something she'd spent her entire life trying to save those she loved from. The woman who'd held her head in her hands as Thor read the Norn shutdown code, and passed it off as exasperated outrage at what the Valkyrie had done to keep them obedient. Kristen, who started closing down her practice before even Samantha knew what she'd taken from the dig site…

With his blessing- either to help the Avengers or damn the universe- Verdandi, General of the Valkyrie, Queen of Asgard, and the Second Sister of Nornheim opened the door to the recovery room and stepped out to prepare for battle.

* * *

**Author's Note** :

Fun fact, the name "Gunvald" literally means "The Mighty/Powerful Valkyrie"

:)


	37. Chapter 36

** Chapter 36 **

The Carvers had done their job wondrously, their work was painstakingly pristine, and Loki truly hoped the Avenges found his base. If they had to move Samantha to the porch of the Tower, there was no way she would remain so grotesquely delightful, and he especially wanted to see the Avengers find her soaked in _so much_ blood.

Skuld killed the first six torturers who dug into the girl. Some were stripped of their flesh, some their bones, and the last two carved through their own eyes and kept going until they reached their brains- screaming in fear and agony all the way. The last one kept stopping and begged to be released from the room before his hands turned on him again. Loki did not let the shields pinning him in fall until at last he died- of blood loss. By then, he figured Skuld’s power had ebbed. By the time she managed to find another gap in Verdandi’s prison there would be no pawn to deliver her swords.

Her swords… Now those were a thing of beauty. Twin blades of an icy gray metal that seemed to whisper of secrets and truths, battles long lost to history and wars not yet waged. These blades could only be warmed by blood, and if the legends were only _half_ true Skuld had kept them cozy indeed.

“You look upon them as though they were a woman you would see bedded.” The cell faded to darkness with only Loki, the Swords, and Samantha in existence.

“They are more dear to me than even that.” Loki smiled and turned to face Thanos boldly, “I can feel them, _my army_ , roiling beneath the surface and screaming to be freed. They want to run across the galaxy and soak all Realms in blood.”

Thanos leaned back in his chair, a shadow falling across his face, “You cannot proceed as though you’ve already won this fight. The Asgardians have had one blade for millennia, one _given_ by the Norn. You hold one _stolen_ , and its mistress screams out for it through the bars of her cell. The other seems determined to meddle- either for her own purpose or to aid your brother. You stand against the Realms and two Norn, it is still more likely you _lose_ those blades than gain another piece of the Norn arsenal. And you have forgotten the most fearsome player on the board-“

“Skuld, Verdandi, the Avengers- who else should I be concerned with?” Loki asked innocently, though he deliberately left Thanos himself off that list. With the power the blades promised, he certainly would hold power over the madman. Power sufficient to claim the _entirety_ of Thanos’ empire.

Thanos chuckled at the slight, “I was a child when the Norn rose from the dead. Their tomb cracked, and two days later three warriors strode out into the daylight. Urda, Verdandi, and Skuld were calm, stoic, and driven. They have never once acted without direction and purpose, everything they do is painted with bloody intent put there by whoever it was that raised them. _Two lifetimes_ they lay interred, and from that point they were more powerful, more dangerous, and show not a single sign of aging. Someone _made them thus_. Someone put that army in their hands and told them what to do with it. Do you believe for a second that the Norn do not know what happened in that tomb? Their creator must be a _god_ , and you will need to outwit him _and_ them to steal their forces from beneath their feet.”

Loki stifled his indignation even as goosebumps rose on his arms. He was no fool, no idiot child as Thanos would paint him! When he controlled this army fully, he would topple the purple fool from his throne and make him grovel. Whatever created the Norn was long dead. It did not hold them to their purpose, it let one die and another be imprisoned! Thanos wanted to pretend he was a mighty god of his own corner of the galaxy, but he was nothing. A remnant of a bygone race, much like those Norn bitches!

“Try counting to ten, I hear the Midgardians subscribe to that technique.” A woman’s voice rippled through the darkness between Loki and Thanos, impossibly familiar.

“Did you bring him?” Thanos looked over Loki’s shoulder to the invisible woman.

“I did. I can guarantee the _boy_ ten minutes. No more. It is a risk bringing him out of his box.”

Thanos smiled down to Loki even as there was a shimmer of light and a dim, transparent shade of Odin appeared between them, kneeling. His ankles were tied together and his hands were bound tightly behind his bent back with golden chains. His hair hung lank and limp, and his beard was a mess of dirt, grease, and chunks of stone, “Thank your fate that you don’t have to _smell_ him.” The voice echoed into nothing and Loki sensed her parting.

“You should leave your position with the blades before the Avengers figure out where you are,” Thanos too began to fade. “And find a way to control them- they summon rain wherever they go. You make yourself too much a target.” With that, Thanos left Loki seething.

Loki would have _loved_ to have a few moments to curse Thanos, throw the Norn blades- illusionary in this space as they were- at his head, rip apart something, or break someone, but he was given _ten minutes_ to find out all he could about his enemy. For ten minutes, he had to check his temper.

“Hello _father_.” Loki spat and stormed around Odin to see his face more clearly, “How are you enjoying Thanos’ prison cell?”

Odin slowly looked up at Loki. His eyes were glazed over and red, deep bags hung beneath his eyes, and through the muck and filth was the bloom of bruises on his temple and cheek. He could not rise his head far- whatever prison Thanos had him in these last few years was _small_. Box-small. The man had likely spent all of that time hunched over with his head smashed into a corner, “I almost feel sorry for you.”

“Whatever you want from me, you will not get it.” Odin’s voice was reedy and thin, belying the strength and absolute conviction of the man behind them.

“I only want a bedtime story,” Loki said innocently, kneeling before the stooped king, “it is simple as that.”

“What kind of-“Odin’s eyes fell on the twin blades in Loki’s hands and his breath hitched sharply. Some life returned to those eyes and they sparkled with tears, “What have you done?”

“You always did say I was good at picking fights. I may have picked the biggest one yet,” Loki gestured behind Odin and the old man struggled to turn his body far enough to see Samantha’s. “Now, you aren’t getting the full effect- several of my men were eviscerated during the process, so imagine a cell just _covered_ floor to ceiling with blood. A proper cell, I mean. Not the one you’re in.”

“Is she dead?”

Loki acted offended, taking a sick joy out of the mix of shock, disgust, and pity on his father’s face, “She will be, no matter what happens next. I’ve given her two doses of Inquisitor’s Dram. So far, that has not proven enough to kill a Midgardian, but she will not survive the third- not will she survive the effects of what she already has had. She will die slowly, in the arms of her lover I hope. See how pretty she used to be?” He waved a hand and a ghostly face rose up from Samantha towards them, “She is a pawn of Skuld. Some child the old windbag seemed to think would deliver her blades. Poor Skuld, you can see for yourself what her efforts got her.” Loki snapped his fingers and the face vanished. “And now her pawn dies, and with her whatever plans Skuld carved out for the girl.”

“Soon enough I will have all three Norn blades,” Loki continued, enjoying how his father’s head fell forward, the tears that sparkled in the darkness, and the heaving gasps coming from him. “Now, I know Skuld is safely tucked away in some prison or another of Verdandi’s choosing. What I need to know is what sort of threat the other Norn might pose. What is the measure of Verdandi’s might?”

“Stupid boy.” Odin’s shudders grew harder and Loki realized with a jolt that his father was _laughing_ \- that was the source of the tears running down his cheeks, the shaking, the heaving- he was positively _giddy_ with it, “You stupid, _stupid_ boy!”

Loki whipped out a sword and held it to Odin’s chin, forcing him to lift his head or have his throat cut, but his father only laughed harder at the look of incredulous rage on his face, “What did you call me?”

“Stupid, idiot boy!” A fresh peal of laughter cut through Odin and he began to cough. When he was recovered his eyes shone with more life than Loki had seen in them since Thor was first sent to Midgard, “Have you seen Lady Verdandi? Did you threaten her as you did me? I hope so- she always was too serious, she needs a good laugh like this!”

“I saw her, when I _took_ these!” Loki hissed.

“And what did she say?”

_Ask him what is coming for you._

Loki remembered Verdandi’s words well. He thought what he needed to know was the scope of Verdandi’s reach, but he remembered the question he’d held when Skuld had appeared before him, that first question that made him summon Odin from Thanos’ dungeons, “How did Verdandi bind Skuld? How did the seer find herself trapped?”

Odin shook his head in wonder and smiled even more broadly, it was grotesque on the unkempt, dirty face, “The greatest trick the Norn ever played was convincing an entire galaxy that they were monsters. You wish to know what sort of beast you are fighting. I shall let you in on the truth behind the Great Lie: Verdandi has always and _will always_ love her sister. She can’t help it. Even after Skuld tried to kill you, Verdandi _gave Asgard_ both Swords and Scythe as a gesture of peace. _I_ was the one who ordered them hidden back on Midgard, that they might return to their masters someday.”

Loki was stunned, “You gave up an army in favor of-“

“In favor of peace.”

“They tried to kill your _son_!”

“SKULD TRIED TO KILL A MONSTER!” Odin spat, “She never would have harmed Thor, it was _you_ she was after! She saw what you were to become and she decided to put an end to you. If I’d have known then how you would turn out, maybe I would have ordered Verdandi to stand down!”

There was only bitter hatred in Loki’s snort of laughter, “Well guess what? Now the monster wins.”

“No, you won’t.”  Loki turned sharply towards Samantha- towards the masked woman in a red gown that knelt next to the image, smoothing back her hair with all the gentle tender grace of a mother. Verdandi turned her head towards Loki and Odin and slowly stood, her voice cold and hard, “You wanted to know how I bound my sister? I did not. She set the walls of her own prison. By claiming those Swords- you weakened the mortar.” Verdandi looked past Loki to Odin and smiled softly, then shot a glance to Loki, “If that is all, you are dismissed.” She snapped her fingers and Loki’s form vanished, sending him shooting back into the cell.

“Allfather, what have they done to you?” Verdandi’s voice was gentle and sad as she came to kneel before Odin. She took his head in her hands and immediately the bindings on his hands and feet snapped, freeing him- if only in the vision.

Some strength poured from her into his fragile body, straightening his spine and easing the ache in his hands and feet as he struggled to move his arms in front of his chest. He reached up and put his hands over hers, squeezing them gently, “Thank you, dear friend.”

There was only pain in Verdandi’s eyes. She did not release Odin’s face, “I have been looking for you since this began, but all I can see is darkness. _Where are you_? Tell me how to find you.”

“I can’t,” a real tear slid down Odin’s cheek, unbidden. “I think Thanos knew you would look for me. They keep me in a _box_ , kept alive by the darkest forms of magic.”

“If I’d known, I would have sought you sooner,” she swore.

Odin squeezed her hands again, then pulled them away from his cheeks, “I know what is coming. I remember Skuld’s prophecies well enough. Loki has the Swords. Skuld is stirring from her slumber. You will die soon.”

“I will die soon.” Verdandi nodded, “And a Realm will burn. For Skuld there is no animosity towards me, it is simply a factor of her grand scheme that could not be controlled.”

“You will not fight it?”

“I did. I lost- just as Skuld always said I would. _Save Samantha_. Before Skuld buried herself, that was the only direction she gave me. Save Samantha. If she lives even long enough to bear offspring, her fate is sealed. Skuld’s future dies. _Skuld_ dies. I thought she was safe, I let her out of my sight and-“ Verdandi looked back to the shredded girl. “Loki gave her the Dram. Only a Norn can survive that poison. Samantha will die… Skuld wins.”

“Is there anything you can do?”

Verdandi nodded, “There is one last thing I can do.” She leaned forward and kissed Odin’s forehead, leaving behind a shimmering silver light that faded into his brow, “With that mark upon your soul, Skuld can find you anywhere in the universe. She will free you from Loki’s prison. It may be a week, it may be a month, but you _will_ see daylight once again. I promise.”

Odin felt a tug at his arms, as though they were being pulled behind him again. His time was up, the summons Thanos’ wretch had issued was fading, and the spell was pulling him back into his hellish reality once more, “There is something you need to know,” he spoke quickly, “your sisterhood was compromised long ago, there are those who would see the Dark Commander’s dream come to fruition- and they have sought out Thanos to ensure it!”

Verdandi nodded, “I understand.”  She held out a hand under Odin’s chin as his arms wound behind him and the golden band appeared once more, “I’m sorry, it is indulgent and changes nothing but I need to hear it from you-“

“My father told me, before he sent me to you for training.” A smile lit Odin’s face even as he felt the walls of his prison pressing around him again, “I think our ancestors kept the truth secret, but it was always passed down from father to child- that we hailed from the proud house of Asmund and Verdandi. Belor- your son- lived a long and peaceful life. He was kept hidden, made head of a noble house instead of assuming the mantle of king that his birthright demanded, but by our legends he was quite possibly as great and merciful as his father.”

With that, the prison rematerialized fully around Odin, and in the darkness of his penn, the King of Asgard was left with the ghost of Verdandi’s sad smile.


	38. Chapter 37

** Chapter 37 (Finale) **

Bucky watched Kristen as closely as ever. For all intents and purposes she appeared to be sleeping- which earned her a dirty look from Steve- but he had a feeling that was the furthest thing from the truth.

It still made his stomach twist- their greatest enemy was sitting across from him and he was allowing it. He could tell the Avengers at any second who Doctor Kristen Gunvald really was, but to what end? So Thor could bash her head in with Mjolnir? Somehow Bucky doubted that when push came to shove that the hammer would actually act against her. The fact that, if her story was true, she had once held two blades and _willingly_ gave them to Odin was perhaps the only thing keeping Bucky’s mouth closed now. She practically _raised_ Samantha. Could she really be as bad as the stories said?

Kristen opened her eyes and Bucky saw a single tear hovering on the ends of her lashes before she quickly wiped it away. He gave her a questioning look and she simply shook her head and swallowed hard, “Um, how far out are we?” Kristen coughed to clear her throat.

Steve barely glanced back from his spot beside Clint, their pilot on this mission, “Oh good, sleep well? Did you have pleasant dreams? Must be nice to feel that peaceful while Loki is doing God knows what to-“

“Twenty minutes out,” Natasha cut Steve off, “time to stretch and check weapons.”

Banner and Sam cast Kristen apologetic smiles while Tony looked more inclined to take Steve’s side. Kristen just closed her eyes for a moment and let out a heavy sigh as she unbuckled and stood, “Steve?”

“Let me guess, you’re going to tell me I can go fuck myself?” When he looked back at her it was with a spark of the madness that had seeped into his soul the moment Samantha was taken.

“No, I just wanted to say thank you- for taking care of Samantha when I wasn’t there, for loving her and making her so happy.”

“Don’t worry, _doc_ , we won’t let you even chip your nails.” Tony scoffed, “No need for the ‘if I die today’ speech.”

“I won’t die. Well, not today at least.” Kristen rolled her neck and stretched her arms, “When we get in there, whatever you see, Samantha is the target. Only her. Even if Loki is chained naked to the wall with a sign saying “cut my throat” and the Swords of Skuld on a table next to him- _only save Samantha._ Don’t let him distract you for a second.”

Steve didn’t bother replying- as if he had anything else planned. Bucky followed Kristen to the back of the ship, where she quietly opened the medical bay and began transferring extra supplies into the already-stuffed pack Sam had prepared. He watched her pull out some supplies in order to make room for more and more bandages, tourniquets, and even a few cauterization packs.

“What do you know that we don’t?” Bucky asked quietly, using his body to help block what she was doing from view.

Kristen looked back at Steve, then up to Bucky, “Try to remind him time is of the essence here. What you’re going to see- you can’t imagine what they’ve done to her. Get her back here, then we can fuss over it as long as we need to.”

Bucky nodded, “All business. I understand.”

“Natasha figured it out when I was shot. I let the bones in my hip heal before I stopped the process. Thor has heard my voice, but he doesn’t want to believe it so he won’t for now. I have a feeling by the time we leave, everyone will know the truth about me. Keep them on mission, and ask Nat and Thor to do the same.”

“Don’t let Steve get distracted, and don’t let everyone else lose their minds over you. Anything else I should know?”

“If I tell you to leave Samantha and run, you leave Samantha and run. Carry Steve if you have to, just get them all out, _fast._ ”

“Why?” Bucky thought he was afraid when he _suspected_ Kristen Gunvald might be more than she appeared, but everything in him _prayed_ that it ended there. Even now- even as she looked at him with sympathy, he _had_ to be wrong- for Steve’s sake more than anything.

“Because the Swords didn’t call out to Samantha… She called out to _them_.”

 

* * *

 

Sommers and Caldwell were understandably psyched to be picked for guard rotation on the southern entrance. Whatever that crackpot Loki was doing with his prisoner, so far four interrogation specialists were dead (not counting the two who died a day before), and the fifth, poor bastard, was being kept alive as a science experiment. Muted shrieks like those of some tortured beast tore through him, but without bones the blob of flesh and organs couldn’t even open his- well at this point it was a hole in the meat suit, not even a proper mouth.

Guard Loki and his prisoner. Seemed like an easy gig. Now whispers were circulating about what he’d done to the girl in that cell and it was enough to turn anyone’s stomach. Not to mention the fact that they weren’t told she was _Captain America’s girlfriend_. A facility this small was _not_ equipped to keep a prisoner from the Avengers.

Loki was unhinged, overconfident, insane, or some combination of the three. Sommers and Caldwell were just happy to get as far away from him as the facility allowed. No one there would sleep easy until the girl was moved.

“This is going to end in the shitter,” Caldwell lit a cigarette downwind from Sommers so his companion was spared the worst of the stench. They looked out across the ocean from their post in the old smugglers tunnel, watching for any break or disturbance in the waves to signal a Quin-Jet in stealth mode and listen for the sound of oars amongst the din of the crashing surf.

“Sure, go ahead and just throw stuff like that out there. Our boss doesn’t seem like the type to take umbrage at a voice of dissent.” Sommers skipped a stone into the water- it sank on the 2nd hop.

“Umbrage?”

“Word of the Day calendar, my daughter is studying for the SATs, we both have one, so I can help her practice vocab when I call in each night.”

“Well aren’t you father of the year?” Caldwell laughed, “That’ll be mine in a decade. Should I start the twins early?”

“Sadly it’s too little, too late.” Sommers turned in time for Natasha to slam her knife into his forehead while Steve threw his shield and decapitated Caldwell. The other Avengers followed around the edge of the cave mouth until everyone was standing in the tunnel.

Steve didn’t even bother to glance back as he snapped out orders, “Bucky beside me, rifle up. Nat and Sam take up the middle, clean up anyone who tries to hit from the sides. Clint- bring up the rear. Banner, stay in the middle with Gunvald. If we can get through this without Hulk, I’d rather have you on hand to help play field medic. Tony, stay beside Sam, but if you find a master control-“

“Peel off and play with their computers, I know.” Tony hated walking in the Iron Man suit, he was more than willing to ditch the fight for a nice juicy server room.

“Thor, I know it’s how you fight, but please try not to throw Mjolnir under _any_ circumstance. Loki has the Swords- if he so much as jumps out of a doorway and touches a _finger_ to that thing as it wizzes by, I don’t want to know how it will respond, how fast it can summon that Scythe, or what comes out when all of those weapons get into his hands.”

Thor had fallen in on Steve’s left, and he obediently switched the hammer to his right hand so that it was inside their formation as the others took their places. There would be no splitting up, they couldn’t risk Loki picking them off one group at a time.

The smuggler’s tunnel ended in a large, windowless steel door. Bucky shot out the security camera from a hundred yards back, and once that was out, Natasha ran forward and made quick work of the keypad. The door opened on a smooth hallway of cinderblock and steel that ran for ten feet before hitting a hallway perpendicular to it. Steve held up a hand to bring everyone to a stop and listened carefully.

“Two men at the end of the hall on the left, chatting against the side wall.”

As Bucky stepped out and dispatched the men before they could signal a warning, Steve turned and grabbed the collar of the black tactical vest Kristen wore, “If you don’t keep quiet, we’ll leave you to fend for yourself.”

“Chill out, her intel was good.” Bucky grabbed Steve’s shoulder and turned him forward again, forcing him to release Gunvald, “You need to get ahold of yourself.”

Steve only growled and stepped boldly into the hallway. Bucky and Natasha both looked to Kristen, but she was unphased by Steve’s threat. She twirled the baton Natasha had lent her for the mission, impatiently biding her time.

They went to the right first and found a large metal door. Steve yanked the door open and stepped in front of Bucky before dropping and holding up his shield. Six guards were inside, already half in their gear. There was no way they hadn’t heard Bucky kill their comrades outside. Natasha’s arm shot out from Bucky’s left as he fired from the right. Bullets pinged off the shield and between the Winter Soldier and the Black Widow, it took three seconds to kill every guard in that room.

“So far so-“ Sam jumped as a bolt of electricity shot out of Thor’s hammer for the far end of the hallway, where another set of guards stepped out of a corridor. A third was still in the hall, and within a few seconds of his shout, the lights overhead turned red and a blaring siren sounded.

The hunt was on.

 

* * *

 

 

As a rule, Steve stuck to the path on the right at all times. He’d gotten lost in a corn maze as a child, and when his mother found him sitting in a dead end crying she told him the big secret: all a maze is is a wall that’s gotten itself turned around. Put one hand on it and follow every turn and eventually it _has_ to show you what you want to see.

So they went right. Entered every door they came to and followed every branch on the right in _there_ \- through an empty locker room, kitchen, security office (Tony opted to stay behind there), and janitor’s cabinet. The deeper they went into the base, the more the cinderblock gave way to old, crumbling bricks and stone. They found trash piles made up of bloody towels that reeked of bleach and chemicals, bags of guts and bones- even a room where a Hydra doctor was bent over a puddle of human skin that seemed to be _breathing_. The doctor met his end at the razor sharp edge of Cap’s shield. The blobby one was met with a bullet to the brain- undoubtedly a mercy.

Kristen remained silent, following obediently, until they took their turn right out of the medical lab and came to an intersection in the hall. Steve turned- shock and awe- right, and the others followed, but she froze and looked to the left, where the uniform stone gave way to something older and well-worn.

“Keep up,” Clint’s tone was gentle as he prodded Gunvald to follow, but she shook her head and looked to the right.

“Hey!” Steve jumped at her soft call and wheeled around, shooting _daggers_ from his eyes, “This way!”

“Clint, get her under control.” He warned. Bucky and Natasha both looked to the doctor with a more cautious eye.

“Don’t touch me.” She snapped as Clint put a hand on her shoulder.

“You wanted in on _my_ mission, you follow _my_ lead. I’m not risking Samantha because you-“

“ _I’M NOT RISKING SAMANTHA BECAUSE OF YOU EITHER!”_ Kristen didn’t break eye contact with Steve, but pointed to the hallway straight in front of her. Clint barely had time to glance up before a squad of guards ran around the corner firing.

Steve cursed and grabbed Kristen, using his shield to deflect several bullets as Banner and the rest dove for cover and the rest began shooting back. Thor let out a bolt and the firing died down for a time, but soon more boots echoed, “KNOCK IT OFF AND FOLLOW ME NOW OR STAY HERE AND DIE.” He ditched the whisper since their position was already blown and shouted at the doctor.

“PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER, CAPTAIN, YOU ARE A DISGRACE TO YOUR OWN TITLE.” Gunvald shouted with all the authority of a General.

Steve swung her against the wall and actually lifted the girl off the floor by the scruff of her vest, “You don’t give me orders!”

“Out of _everyone_ here, who _didn’t_ take a nap while Samantha was dragged out of that Tower screaming?” Kristen wasn’t phased by Steve’s aggression, “You want to wander along like your mommy taught you, or do you want to find Samantha maybe _before_ they have the rest of the base in front of her cell?!” She looked up at Bucky and Natasha, who both had the same warning look in their eyes. Kristen shook her head and before Steve could snap back she leveled a kick to his sternum.

For a run of the mill human it should have barely phased Captain America. It sent him flying down the hall and knocked the air from his lungs. As he forced in a loud gasp of air and struggled to his feet, Kristen rand down the hallway to the left with Clint fast on her heels. Steve and the other Avengers immediately dove after her as more soldiers appeared in the halls on the right _and_ ahead. Instead of being caught in the crossfire of two groups, Sam and Thor cleaned up the enemy in front while Bucky and Natasha crouched low and took out the enemy beside them. A stray bullet fragment sliced through Sam’s eyebrow, but he barely flinched as he fired.

Sam wiped the blood from his eyebrow, bit back a curse as sweat dripped into the injury, and waved off Banner’s offer of a bandage, “Save the supplies for Samantha!” Thor helped Bucky and Natasha finish the last of their group and then they ran after Clint, Steve, and Kristen.

The old stone hallways was long enough that they caught sight of the three just as they came to another junction. Kristen angled for the wall on the right and kicked off of it to change her course and go through the tunnel on the left, forcing Steve and Clint to use the wall of the left tunnel to turn. A soldier appeared in front of Kristen and Clint raised his bow to take aim- but it was over before he got a shot off.

Kristen threw herself at the guard, hooked her baton around his neck, and used the handle to pin his jaw as she held onto the longer end and swung her legs out to the side. The force of the twist spun his head around hard and fast- his mouth was open in surprise as his head was wrenched back to face entirely the wrong way. Kristen didn’t even break stride as she landed and kept running down the hall. The loud, echoing _crack_ made Steve and Banner break stride at least- and judging by the sudden paleness in Thor’s face, he had a very good idea of where the doctor’s sudden burst of strength came from.

Loud bangs echoed around them and Bucky looked down a hall as they passed yet another junction- bulkheads were slamming down. Hopefully that was Tony clearing their way and not Hydra shepherding them.

“What the hell was that?!” Steve caught Kristen as she slowed near the end of a hall. He threw her against the wall and pinned her there- this time with the shield. It ran all the way down from her chest to her knees, so there would be no kicking this time.

She wasn’t looking at Steve though, she was looking at the end of the hall, where a rotting wooden door sat. A corridor was between them and the door, and when Steve followed her gaze he could see trails of blood leading out of the room. But that didn’t concern him nearly as much as the red and gold Valkyrie with her back to them. A full helmet covered her head- not a partial one, meaning this one was-

“SKULD!” Steve immediately forgot about Kristen and dove for the door. He had no doubt who was behind it, “GET AWAY FROM HER OR I WILL RIP YOU APART!” The Norn’s image fractured as she looked back at him. Steve crashed into the mirage and pushed through it, like a thin layer of ice. He hit the door with enough force to shatter it and immediately slipped on the floor of the cell.

The other Avengers (plus the doctor) ran after him, and only Sam and Clint skid on the floor. Steve had smashed his chin and the side of his face into the stone floor, but it was impossible to tell if the blood that covered him was his.

The entire cell was painted floor to ceiling with it, but that wasn’t the worst part. Samantha was.

She was in the back half of the room, on the other side of a thin shield of golden light. Her hair lay around her- still attached to the chunks of skin Loki’s carvers had cut her scalp into as they sawed it off. Her eyelids were neatly arranged on the floor next to her head- her nose sat beneath them, her ears to either side, and her lips beneath. Her mouth- the gaping, bloody mess, had been sawed open all the way back so that it nearly touched her ears, and the skin was folded down and up to expose her teeth and gums.

Her hands had been smashed and the skin was flayed open. On one hand, every bone was cleanly visible. On the other, they’d been extracted from the flesh and again arranged neatly beside her. Her feet were in the same condition- only reversed. Her kneecaps were extracted, her top was long gone, and every other rib had been cut out and laid beside her. Only the thin, strangled gasps and moans that escaped the grotesque abomination before them served as proof of life.

Sam wasn’t the only one who threw up.

Steve wasn’t the only one who cried.

And at the sight of Loki, grinning like a wolf in the corner of the room with the swords laying neatly across his lap, Thor wasn’t the only one who roared.

He raised Mjolnir in front of him and let out a blast of lightning so strong it threw them back into the walls. The shield shattered, and Thor threw himself at Loki. His brother smiled broadly and stood. He held the swords in front of him and ran the blade edges against one another. The sharp scream of steel was the only warning before Bucky and Kristen both shouted a warning and dove to the sides. A wall of air picked Natasha up from where she’d regained her footing and sent her into the ceiling, where her head cracked against the stone. Clint’s bow was knocked from his hand and shattered against the wall. He was thrown into Sam and both hit the splintered wood of the doorway, leaving long and jagged cuts through their arms and backs.

Banner wanted nothing more than to Hulk out- he was just _barely_ holding it together- but he _had_ to stay human to help Samantha. If he could stand to look at her. He grabbed an incredibly dazed Natasha and ran to Sam and Clint as Loki readied another blast- giving Bucky, Steve, Thor, and Kristen room to fight.

Thor released another bolt from Mjolnir, mindful to arc the lightning away from Sam. Loki caught it with the swords easily, and when he once again crossed the blades and released a blast, the lightning turned on its master. Mjolnir was no match for Norn blades at full might.

Steve opened fire on Loki, knowing damn well his bullets wouldn’t do any good. He threw his sidearm down and launched the shield at the man, giving Bucky an opening and buying Thor time to recover from the shock. The Asgardian was already trying to push himself back onto his knees at least.

Another blast from Loki took care of all three of them. Thor couldn’t get his hand on Mjolnir in time, and Bucky and Steve hit the ceiling with such force, chunks of stone rained down and half-buried them.

“I’m so glad she lasted long enough for you to see her, Captain Rogers.” Loki released another blast of energy as Steve tried to pull himself out of the pile of rubble, “If we had to bring her to you, we’d have just thrown her out of the side of a van. No- this is better. Here you can see her as the work of art she was meant to be.”

Kristen alone still stood, she edged around towards Samantha, and Loki noticed, “I admit, I was a little surprised that you survived Cohasset. I mean, I really thought I’d done more permanent damage. Oh well, maybe closer range will help.” Loki crossed the swords.

Steve could only watch as Kristen closed her eyes and relaxed, at peace with her end. As angry as he was at her- she would die in front of Samantha. In front of… the _thing_ that was Samantha. His mind couldn’t reconcile the creature on the floor with the woman he loved, not right now. Still, he’d sworn a silent oath to keep safe the woman now poised to die with quiet dignity. Thor was down, he and Bucky were pinned, and Loki would have Mjolnir soon enough.

Loki sliced the blades against one another, sending out a blast of energy-

And Kristen dropped before it even touched her.

She dove down, braced herself on her hands, and kicked at the wall to launch herself towards Mjolnir. Enraged, Loki swung both blades down at her. Kristen grabbed the handle of the hammer and ripped it up off the floor. As it arced around her to meet the Swords’ edges, the hammer rippled and unfurled into a blade of its own.

The Swords met Laevateinn with a silent wave of pressure that blasted the fallen rocks to dust around Thor, Bucky, and Steve. It moved around the people in the room and made the drying and dried blood ripple and flake away from the two at the epicenter.

Loki’s eyes widened as Kristen pushed back on the Swords and stood. His image flickered and Steve’s scream of rage was deafening-

It was an illusion.

“Nu-uh.” Kristen raised her left hand in a quick, fluid gesture and Loki’s rapidly fading image returned. He looked surprised, stunned even, but not scared, “You don’t get to do this and just run away.”

“I don’t care what you are, _Norn_. An illusion cannot be harmed.”

“You’re right. I can’t do any physical damage to you.” She drew back Laevateinn and ran Loki through with it. His mouth opened in a surprised gasp of pain and he stopped breathing for a moment as the blade went through his abdomen, “Which is why you will feel that wound for _weeks_ and nothing you do will be able to stop the pain.”

Loki tried to laugh, “Samantha will _die_. I will offer your sister your head on a _platter_ in exchange for serving me!” his strangled hiss made Kristen smile.

“Take a good look, memorize the scene,” Kristen pulled the blade out and stepped aside so Loki could see Samantha’s body, “when I come for you, you’ll wish I was this kind.”

She lowered her hand and Loki’s image flickered and vanished immediately. The Avengers pulled themselves to their feet as Kristen stood back and gave the group room to converge on Samantha. Steve looked at the doctor with a mixture of horror and confusion, “You- how did-“

“Help her. Before it’s too late.”

A tear slid down her cheek as Kristen watched Banner run in to start binding Samantha’s wounds as Bucky checked on Thor, Nat, Clint, and Sam.

Skuld’s form flickered in the corner of the cell and met Kristen’s eyes. The girl’s chin quivered as the wraith watched her.

Save Samantha. Her only mission. Her only thought. Her only hope.

Kristen- Verdandi- failed.


	39. Epilogue

** Part 1 Epilogue **

Loki cradled both swords in one arm as he pulled himself onto the ship hidden in the crag to the north. His heart hammered in his ears and he _felt_ like blood was filling his lungs and abdomen- but there was nothing there. A phantom wound that ached and burned like the real thing.

The Swords’ power added a fire to his illusion he didn’t know was possible, and he cursed himself for letting Verdandi’s warning get beneath his skin. If he hadn’t abandoned the base, if he hadn’t hidden away and left a mirage to ambush the Avengers, they would have died- even _with_ the Norn on their side.

The Norn.

According to Thor’s report, Verdandi had the Scythe tucked away- and now he’d given up his one shot at Laevateinn- tricked into believing the Norn had not yet entered the fray. They had Verdandi. They might as well have the second weapon.

Loki squeezed the swords harder to him as though that would be enough to keep them from being claimed and threw his magic into the Asgardian vessel. It shot out from between the stone face, turned sharply (and _painfully_ ) in midair and launched itself back into the crag, now bow-first. There were a few moments of darkness and wind, then an explosion of light and the ship flew out onto the obsidian fields of Helheim. Someone appeared in front of him and Loki nearly overturned the vessel when he wrenched it sideways and poured his magic into _stopping_.

He stared at her over the side of the ship, eyes wide, sweat pouring down his skin as the wound-that-wasn’t-a-wound made him sick with pain.

“Thanos told me to expect the _failure_ to flee through here.” Wynd- High Commander of the Valkyrie- crossed her arms and spoke in that same cold voice that delivered Odin’s mind to him. “If you want to keep those Swords, I suggest you come with me.”

“They had a Norn. There was nothing I could do.”

“Lucky for you _I_ am better at remaining where Thanos placed me.” Wynd turned, clearly expecting Loki to follow, “And lucky for you, the Valkyrie have a way to stop Verdandi and Skuld from claiming those blades.”

Loki stumbled after her, using the Swords almost as a crutch, “How?”

Wynd’s smile was wolfish as she looked back, “It’s easy, when you have a Norn of your own.”

 

* * *

 

They got Samantha back to the Tower, but that was as far as they dared move her. Thor ordered Heimdall to send healers from Asgard to try and save the mortal. Despite their best efforts, at most they could ease her suffering. Ribs were replaced, but her hands, feet, and legs would never move again. Her eyelids were repaired, but there was nothing for the horrors those eyes beneath had seen. Her mouth was stitched back together, but when they let her wake she only screamed and ripped through the stitches once more.

Four days after they rescued Samantha from the horrors of Loki’s dungeon, Kristen sat alone in the small, isolated medical room upstairs. There were no windows, only a bed, a chair, and a large glass wall. Whenever Kristen entered the room, Steve left to go there and wait. They hadn’t spoken since the mission. She hadn’t spoken to any of the Avengers, though a few tried to offer her condolences or question her about what she’d said to Loki.

They knew now that Verdandi was in their midst. And all they cared about was that she could not save her human charge.

Kristen sat over her sister and seemed to pray- though her words were pointed, precise, and in a language even Thor could not understand. When she wasn’t in the room with Samantha- when she gave Steve his space to be with her while he could, she sat alone in Natasha’s guest room and looked lost, adrift.

At the end of the fourth day, Kristen simply kissed Samantha’s forehead and walked out- the same as any other day. She went back to the guest room, picked up the phone, and told whoever answered her call, “Now.”

With that done, Kristen picked up a backpack left beside the door, tossed a closed notebook onto the bed, and headed for the exit.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Bucky and Sam were behind her, Natasha in front.

“You want to end this, don’t you? You want to take down Loki?” There was nothing in Kristen’s voice. She was exhausted, defeated, but decided. Her response sounded more like someone going to their own execution than a Norn readying for battle.

“Of course we do.”

“Samantha will last another couple of weeks, that’s it. I’m going to get her something to ease her passing. Loki can’t have the Swords. I won’t allow it…” She turned to look at Bucky and Sam, “I’ll bring you the Scythe. You can claim the Swords from there.”

Natasha didn’t move when Kristen walked towards her, “That’s fine and all, but you’re not going alone.”

“Loki just escaped with the Swords. The Valkyrie will put this planet under lockdown and if they find out you worked with a Norn, they will kill you all- just as a precaution. I need to get the Scythe, and you all need to protect Samantha. They know Skuld possessed her to hide the Swords. They’ll try to use her to learn anything else they can.”

She stepped forward, and once again no one moved, “I’m too tired to fight you all. I’m leaving- I will return shortly before Samantha succumbs. Stay here and protect her. If you follow me, know you might be damning your friends with your absence.” Kristen walked around Natasha, who made no motion to stop her.

“I’ll stay here. We don’t know what all Loki did to Samantha- if she wakes up, it might be easier for her to talk to a woman.” Natasha looked up at Bucky expectantly.

“JARVIS, go-bag please.” A duffle dropped from a hatch near the hanger door. Bucky stooped down and gave Natasha a long, lingering kiss before she pushed him away to follow the doctor.

Sam watched them, envy plain on his face, “I know more about psychological trauma than the lot of you,” he said.

“Didn’t ask.” Natasha raised an eyebrow and waved as Bucky cast one last look back.

“Nah, you’re right, I need to be here more than I need to see where they’re going.”

“Still didn’t ask.” Natasha walked away with a smirk.

Sam sighed and looked after her, “Hey Nat?”

“What?”

“I’m not the only one who feels like we just ran a marathon, right?”

“Nope.”

He nodded and looked across the Tower as he heard the front door click shut, “And why do I feel like that was just the warm-up?”

“You read the prophecy too,” Natasha shrugged, “we’ll only know it’s over when everything’s on fire.”

Sam let his shoulder sag as Natasha vanished into her rooms.

“Hey JARVIS?”

“Yes, Mister Wilson?”

“Do I have a Will on file?”

“You do not.”

Sam threw his head back and stomped away towards Steve’s (and his) apartment, “Do you take dictation?”


End file.
